THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
,
THE 7
PARLIAMENTARY
O R
CONSTITUTIONAL
Hiftory of England,
From the earlieft TIMES,
T O T H E
Reftoration of King CHARLES II.
COLLECTED
From the RECORDS, the ROLLS of Parliament, the JOURNALS
of both Houfes, the Publk LIBRARIES, Original MANU-
SCRIPTS, fcarce SPEECHSS, and TRACTS j all compared
with the feveral Contemporary Writers, and connected,
throughout, with the Hiftory of the Times.
By SEVERAL HANDS.
THE SECOND EDITION.
IN TWENTY-FOUR VOLUMES.
VOL. XXI. .
From the Meeting of Cromwell's third Parliament, in Seflehitxr, 1656,
to the great Confufions in Ofiofar, 1659.
LONDON,
Printed for J. and R. TONSON, and A. MILLAR, in the
Strand; and W. SANDBY, in Fleet -Jlreet,
MDCCLXIII,
*,*** * ,*S * * ,*x *
THE
Parliamentary Hiftory
O F
ENGLAND.
Vigorous Profecution of theXVar with
fy<7/tf, requiring large Supplies, the
Protestor was neceffitated to call a
Parliament : But left a new one (hould
prove as refractory as thelaft, which,
in January, 1654, he had diflblv'd in
high Difguft, he refolved to leave no Means unat-
tempted to pack together an Aflembly of Men de-
voted to his own Ambitious and Arbitrary Defigns.
In effecting this his Major-Generals of Counties, of
which new Kind of Officers we have taken parti-
cular Notice in our laft Volume, were highly fer-
viceable"; not only in procuring, by their Influence
and Authority, themfelves and their Dependents,
fuch as Governors of Caftles and Garrtfons, Colo-
nels of Regiments in the Army, Captains of County
Troops, Civil Officers, and Relations of the Lord
Vet. XXI. A Fro.
inter- regaum,
l656-
• Vol. XX.
ttfr?.
127217°
2 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. Prote&or, to be chofen ; but alfo in preventing the
»656- Election of many Gentlemen of the beft Families
c-.-v— ~j ancj Fortunes b. Yet finding, neverthelefs, that a
' SePtember- great Number of Members of the laft Parliament,
who had been the moft refolute Oppofers of his Mea-
fures, were return'd to ferve in the prefent; and ap-
prehenfive he fhould not, therefore, be able, by a
Legiflative Sanction, to ratify and eftablifh his Go-
vernment, which had hitherto no Authority but
what was derived from the Sword, he determined
that not a Man mould be permitted to fit in thtf
Houfe, without firft producing a Certificate of his
being approved by the Council of State.
This Tyrannical Project of Cromwell's, betngthe
higheft Infringement of the Liberties of the Nation
we have yet met with, in the whole Courfe of thefe
Inquiries, we fhall endeavour to inveftigate, and
bring together, every authentic Circumftance that
can pofiibly contribute to illuftrate fo important a
Crifis.
To this End we exhibit a Lift of the Members
of this Parliament, diftinguifhing all fuch as were
the Dependents or Relations of Cromwell ; and alfo
thofe who, though duly return'd by the Sheriffs,
were not permitted to fit in the Houfe. „-,
b In the Fifth Volume of Tburloc's State Papers, is a Copy of a
Pamphlet, intituled, England's Remembrancer, or a Word in Seafoit
to all Englifhmen about their Eleflior.s of Members for the approach-
ing Parliament. This Piece, great Numbers whereof were difperfed
all over the Nation, feems to have been calculated to fpirit up the
People againft the Protector and his Government.
In that Colleftron alfo are feveral Letters from Lord Broghilt, Henry
Cromwell, Monck, cJt>ur!oe, M'halley. Lilburne, Haynes, Di/browe,
Kelfey, Gaffe, Berry, Bridges, feff. from the Perufal of which may be
form'd a juft Idea of the arbitrary Meafures made ule of to fecuie a
Majoiity of Members in the P. elector's Intereft, to be return'd
for England, Scotland, and Ire/and. We lhall give an Extract of
one only, as a Specimen of the left.
London, Aug. 12, 1656.
" All our Newes is about the Choyce of Members for Parliament.
Where our honeft Soldiers can appeare, a reafonable good Choyce is
Inade, but the farther off from London the worfe ; for even here
amongft us, under our Nofes, the Ill-affected are fo bould and in-
gratefull, as, at Elections, to cry out, Noe Souldiers, noe Courtiers:
But curft Cowes have fli.:>rt Homes ; and the Prudence of our Gover-
nors, by the fending for up of the reft of the Army, will doubtleii
fecure us agaiuft the jaew and old Malignants boaUV'
Gf E N G L A N D. 3
Ttie NAMES of the PERSONS returned to ferve in the Parliament
appointed to meet at Weftminfter, September 17, 1656, fo-i
the fever al COUNTIES, CITIES, TOWNS, BOROUGHS, and
CINQUE PORTS, of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland,
• and Ireland. c
The Members in the Italic Char after were denied Admittance into
the Houfc ; and tbofe witl? k prefixed, voted for CromwellV
being King. d
BEDFORDSHIRE. OIR William Boteler, Knt.
John Harvey, Efq;
Richard Wagftaffe, Efq; as Captain of Fcot,
!, per Ann. and Captain of a County
Troop, iooA
k Samuel Bedford, Efq; one of the Receivers cf
the Public Revenues, 300 /. per Ann,
Richard Edwards, Efq;
Bedford T. Thomas Margets, Efq; Judge- Advocate of the
Army, 2737. 15*. par Ann.
BERKSHIRE. k William Trumbull, Efq;
John Southby, Efq;
k Edmund Dunch, of Eaft- Wittenham, E6j;
/- Capt. John Dunch, related to the Lord Pro-
tector by Marriage.
k William Hide, EJq-,
Mngdon B. Thomas Holt, Efq;
A 2 Rjed.
c Extracted from the Journals, Dr. Willit's Not i tin ParltAmeistaria, the Diaries of
the Times, Tburloe, &c.
The Account of the feveral Offices, &c. of which th* Members were poflefled,
with their refpe<ftive Value, are taken from a Pamphlet publirtied immediately after
the Dillblutioo of the Parliament. - This Piece, which is wrote with equal Truth
and Refentment, is intituled, A Narrative of the latt Parliament, (ft called) their
flefiion and Appearing 5 the Stcfajion of a great Part of then ; the Sitting of the rejt.
tfitb an Account of tbf Places of Profit, Salaries, and Advantages, ivbtcb t&ev bold
and receive under the prefent P fiver. With feme Queritt thereupon ; and upon the mojl
material Aeit 'and Proceedings paff'ed by them. All Jbumtly prefuifcd to Confederation ;
publified for Information of tbe People, hy a Friend to the Commonwealth, and to its
J^dr-bought Right; end L:l>t>tict. — It was communicated b> tlic Rev. Dr. Birch, Se-
cretary to the Royal Society ; to whom ihe Authors of this Work are much obliged
for feveral valuable Materials.
d It is remarkable that fome of thofc Members who were denied their Seats in the
Houfe, at the Opening of the Parliament, afterwards voted for making of Croimuetl
King. - That they were at firft refnftd Admittance, as not being approved by the
Council, is copfitm'd by the Journals ; and yet, from the frequent Mention of their
Names in thofc Authorities afterwards, as Tellers, (&c. it is evident they got in by
fome Means or other. It is not improbable, therefore, that their promiJTnp tovotj
fat the Pjotcftor's Advancement to the Crown, was the Price of their Admjdiou§
Aylefbury B.
Dipping - fff
comb B.
CAMBRIDGE-
4 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Reading B. Daniel Blagrave, Efq;
BUCKINGHAM- k Rt. Hon. Bulftrode Whitlocke, as Commif-
SHIRE. fioner of the Treafury, iooo 7. per Ann. his
Son a Colonel in the Army, and made a
Knight by the Lord Protector, Jan. 6, 1656*
Sir Richard Piggot, Knt.
Richard Grenville^ Efa;
k Richard Ingoldfby, Efq; Colonel of Horfe,
4747. ioj. per Ann. The Protector's Kinf-
man.
k Richard Hampden, Efq;
Buckingham T. k Francis Ingoldfby, Efq; a Relation to the Lord
Protector.
Thomas Scott^ of Lamleth-Houfe^ Efq;
Maj. Gen. Tobias Bridge, Colonel of Horfe,
4747. 10 s. per Ann.
k Sit Francis Rufiel, Bart. Chamberlain of Che-
Jter, 500 7. per Ann. One of his Daughters
married the Lord Protector's fecond Son.
Robert Caftle, Efq;
Henry Pickering, Efqj
k Robert Weft, Efq;
Rt. Hon. Lord Richard Cromwell, Chancellor
of the Univerfity. Eldeft Son of the Lord
Protector.
Richard Tymbes, Alderman.
k Rt. Hon. John Thurloe, Principal Secretary
of State, and Poftmafter of England.
William Fijher, Efq;
Sir George Booth, Bart.
Thomas Marbury, of Marbury, Efq;
k Richard Legh, ofLyme, Efq;
k Major Peter Brooke, of Reddifli.
Edward Bradfhaw, Efq;
Rt. Hon. Francis Roufe^ as one of his High-
nefs's Council. iooo7. per Ann. and Provoft
of Eaton College, 500 7.
Anthony Nichols, of Penrofe, Efq;
k Richard Carter, of Colomb-Major, Efq;
Thomas Ceeley, of Trevifham, Efq;
William Braddon, Efq; Captain of a County
Troop, 1 00 7. ptr Ann.
SHIRE.
Cambridge Uni-
verfity.
Cambridge T.
Me of £7.
CHESHIRE.
Chefler C.
CORNWALL.
Of ENGLAND.
5
Launcefton B.
Truro B.
Penryn B.
John St. Aubyn, of Clowance, Efq;
Col. Anthony Roufe, Vice -Admiral of the
North and South Coafts of Cornwall.
Walter Moyle, of Bake, Efq-,
Thomas Gewen, of Bradridge^ Efq;
Walter Vincent, Efq-t
John Fox, Efq; Recorder of this Borough,
Governor of Pendennis Caftle, and Captain
of Horfe. The Protector's Kinfman.
MiddIeTemPle»
CUMBERLAND, k Maj. Gen. Charles Howard, as Colonel of
Foot, 3657. per Ann. and Captain of a Coun-
ty Troop, ioo/. alfo Governor of Berwick ,
Carlijle, and Tinmsuth.
k William Brifcoe,Efq; Colonel of Foot, 3657.
per Ann.
Carlijle C. k George Downing, Efq; as one of the Tellers
of the Exchequer in England, 500 /. per Ann.
and, as Scout- Mafter General of Scotland,
3*5'-
DERBYSHIRE. John Cell, Efq\
Sir Samuel Sleigh, Knt.
Thomas Saunders, Efq;
German Pole, Efq;
Derby T. k Gervafe Bennet, Efq; one of the Committee
for the Prefervation of the Excife and Cuf-
toms, 300 /. per Ann. alfo a valuable Place
in the Wine-Office, and one of the Commit-
tee for the Army.
DEVONSHIRE. Sir John Northcot, Bart.
Sir John Young, Knt.
Robert Rolle, Efq;
Arthur Upton, Efq; a Commiflioner of the Cuf-
toms, fuppofed to be worth near 8oo/. per
Ann.
Thomas Reyncll, Efq;
William Morrice, of Werringtony Efq\
Capt. Henry Hatfel, Commiflioner of the Navy
at Plymouth, 300 /. per Ann.
Edmund Fowel, Efq;
A 3 John
Exeter C.
Plymouth B.
Cllftonl &art;
mouth, Hard-
nejs, is.
Totnefs B.
B.
Tiverton B.
Honyton B.
DORSETSHIRE.
Dorcbe/lfr,
Weymoiitb and
The Parliamentary HISTORV
John Hele, Efy;
"John Dodderidge, Efq\
Thomas Saunders, Efq; Major of Foot, ancf
Governor of Plymouth.
Thomas Bampfield, Efq; Recorder of this City.
Thomas Weftlake, Gent. Town-Clerk.
Job*1 Maynard, Serjeant at Law, call'd to the
Bar by a Writ of the Lord Proteftor^ Jan. 19,
.1653-
Timothy Alfop, Merchant.
Ed ward Hopkins, Efq; a Commiffioner of the
Admir,ltyj 5OO /. ^ ^
Chriftopher Maynard, Merchant,
Sir John Copplefton, Colonel of a County Re-
giment. Knighted by the Lord Prote&or,
June I, 1655.
Robert Shapcot, of Broadmarfh, Efq;
Major Samuel Searle.
Rt. Hon. William Sydenham, as one of his
Highnefs's Council, iooo/. per Ann. and as
a Commiffioner of the Treafury, iooo /. be-r
fides the Government of the Ifle of JVight.
k Col. John Bingham, Governor of Guernfey.
Robert Coker, Efq;
£ Col. John Fitz- James.
James Dewey, Efq;
John Trenchard, Efq;
John Whiteway, Efq;
Dennis Bond> E(q. Comptroller of the Re*
CeiptS in the Exchecluer> 5°0/- Per Ann-
Lyme-Regis B. k Edmund Prideaux, Efq; Attorney-General to
the State. His Fee for every Patent and
Pardon, 5/. each. His Place fuppofed worth
near 6000 /. per Ann.
Poole T. Edward Boteler, Efq; one of the Receivers of
the Public Revenues, 300 /. per Ann.
DURHAM. k Thomas Lilburn, of Ufferton, Efq; Captain
of Horfe, 2737. per Ann.
James C layering, Efq\
Durham C. k Anthony Smith, Alderman, Mafter of an
Hof-
Of ENGLAND. 7
Hofpital, and one of the Regifters of Mar-
riages, &c. there, 2OO /. per Ann,
llesEX. Sir Thomas Honeywood, Knt.
Dionyfius Wakering, Efq;
Henry Alildmay, of Graces, Efq;
Carew Mildmay, Efq;
Sir Richard Everard, Bart.
Robert Barringron, of Weftminfter, Efq; a
Relation of the Lord Protector. •
Dudley Temple, Efq;
Oliver Raymond^ Efq',
Edward Turner, Ejq;
Sir Thomas Bowes, Knt.
Hezekiah Haynes, Efq; Major of Horfe, 3587.
13*. 4^. per Ann.
John Archer, Efq;
Sir Harbottle Grimjlon, Bart.
Colchefler B. Rt. Hon. Henry Lawrence, Prefident of the
Lord Protedlor's Council, loool.-prr Ann.
John Maidftone, Efq; Steward of his High-
nefs's Houfliold.
Maiden B. Joachim Matthews, Efq; Recorder.
GLOUCESTER- George Berkeley, Efq;
SHIRE. John Howe, Efq;
John Crofts, Efq; Captain of a County Troop,
IOO/. per Ann.
Baynham Throckmorton, Efq;
William Neaft, Efq;
Gloucefler C. Rt. Hon. Maj. Gen. John Difbrowe, made
his Election for Somerfetjhire. In his Place,
k James Stephens, Alderman.
Thomas Pury, jun. Efq;
Tewk/bury B. Francis White, of Weftminfter, Efq; Colonel
of Foot, 365 /. per Ann.
Cirencejler B. k Capt. John Stone, of Weftminfter, as Teller
in the Exchequer, 500 /. per Ann. as Re-
ceiver-General of the Taxes, 300 /. and as
Comptroller of the Excife and Cuftoms,
400 /. alfo a Commiffioner of the Wine-
Office.
HEREFORD- Major-General Berry, made his Election for
SHIRE. jyorcejlerjbire.
Parliamentary HISTORY
Edward Harley, Efq;
Bennet Hofkins, Efq; one of the Welch Judge?
for the Shires of Pembroke, Carmarthen, and
Cardigan.
k Benjamin Mafon, Efq; Lieutenant of a
County Troop.
Hereford C. Col. Wroth Rogers, Governor of this City,
and Captain of a County Troop.
LeominJIer B. Jahn Birch, Efq;
HERTFORD- k William Earl of Soli/bury.
SHIRE. k Sir Richard Lucy, Bart.
Sir John JPitteiurong, of Harding , Knt*
Sir John Gore, Knt.
Rowland Litton, of Knebworth, Efq;
St. Allans B. Col. Alban Cox, Captain of a County Troop,
ioo/. per Ann.
Hertford T. Ifaac Pulter, Efq;
HUNTINGDON- k Rt. Hon. Edward Montagu, as one of his
SHIRE., Highnefs's Council, iooo/. per Ann. as a
Commiflioner of the Treafury, iooo/. and
General at Sea, 1095 /.
h Col. Henry Cromwell, jun. of Ramfay. The
Protestor's Nephew.
Nicholas Pedley, Efq; a Commiflioner of the
Wine-Office at IVeftminftcr.
Huntingdon T. John Barnard, Efq; of this Borough.
KENT. JohnDixwell, Efq;
William James, Efq;
Henry Oxenden, Efq;
Sir Thomas Style, Bart.
John Boys, of Eettejhanger, Efq;
Lambert Godfrey, Efq; Recorder of Maidjlone*
Richard Beale, Efq;
John Selliard, Efq;
Ralph Welden, Efq;
Richard Meredith, Efq;
Daniel Shatterden, Efq;
Canterbury C. Thomas St. Nicholas, Efq;
Vincent Denn, Efq;
Rochefter C. Hon. John Parker, one of the Barons of the
Exchequer, iooo/. per Ann,
Maid/lone B. John Bankes, Efq;
Lancafttr T.
Prejhn B.
Liverpool B.
Manckejler B.
LEICESTER*
SHIRE,
Ltutjler T.
Efq;
O/ ENGLAND. 9
Queenborough B. Gabriel Livefey, Efq;
LANCASHIRE. Sir Richard Houghton, Bart.
k Col. Gilbert Ireland, Captain of a County
Troop, loo/, per Ann.
Col. Richard Holland.
Col. Richard Standifh.
Major Henry Porter.
Col. Richard Shuttleworth.
Thomas Birch. Efq;
Richard Radcli/e, Efq\
Col. Thomas Beaumont, of Stoughton*
Grainge.
k Francis Hacker, of Oakham, in Rutland-
fhire, Efq; Colonel of Horfe, 474.7. IOJ. per
Ann.
William Quarles, ofEnderby, Efq;
Thomas Pochen, of Barkely Thorpe,
Sir Arthur Hafierigg, of A cjelyy Bart.
William Stanley, Efq;
LINCOLNSHIRE. Thomas Hall, of Dunnington, Efqj
Thomas Lifter, of Colby, Ejq\
Thomas Hatcher, of Carleton, Efq;
Edward Rofiiter, of Somerby, Efq;
Charles Hall, of Kettlethorpe, Elq-y
William Woolley, ef Will, Efq;
k Francis Clifton, <7//rfjFiennes, of Great Stour-
ton, Efq; Captain of a County Troop, 100 /.
per Ann.
William Savile^ of Newton, Efq\
William Welby, of Denton, Ejq;
Charles Hujfey, of Hunnington, Efq\
Origen Peart, Efq;
Humphrey Walcot, Efq;
Sir Anthony Irby, Knt.
William Ellis, Efq; Solicitor- General to the>
State, worth about 3000 /. per Ann.
Stamford R. John Weaver, Efq',
Grim/by. William Wrav, Efq;
MIDDLESEX. Sir John Barkftead, as Captain of Foot, 1467.
per Ann. Major-General for Middlesex and
Weftminfter, 6661. i$s. ±d- and as Lieu-
tenant of the Tower, 250 /. Salary, befides
the
Lincoln C*
Eoftcn T.
Grant ham B.
lo *Tfo Parliamentary HISTORY
the Perquifites of that Office, about 2000 /.
per Ann. more. Knighted by the Lord Pro-
tector Jan. 19, 1655.
k Sir William Roberts, Knt. as one of the
Committee for Prefervation of the Excife and
Cuftoms, 300 A per Ann. and as Comptrol-
ler of the Exchequer, 600 /• alfo a Com-
jniffioner of the Wine- Office, and one of
the Committee for the Army.
Chaloner Chute, Efq;
Col. William Kiffen, Captain of a County
Troop, ioo/. per Ann.
Weflminfter C. Col. Edward Grofvenor, Quarter-Mafter Ge-
neral, 4IQ/. lOs. per Ann. e
Edward Carey, Efq; Deputy to the High Stew-
ard of this City and Liberties.
London C. k Thomas Foot, Alderman. .
k Sir Chriftopher Packe, Alderman. Knighted
by the Lord Protector September 20, 1655.
Thomas Adams, Alderman.
Richard Brown, Efq;
Theophilus Biddulph, Efq;
John Jones i Efq;
'MoNMOUTH- Major-General Berry, made his Election for
SHIRE, Worcefterjhire. In his Place, Nathaniel
Waterhoufe, of Weftminfter, Efq; Steward
to the Lord Protector for his Highnefs's
Lands in Wales.
Capt. John Nicholas, Governor of Chepftow
Caftle, Captain of Foot, alfo of a Militia
Troop, and Treafurer- General of South-
Wales. He married the Lord Protector's Niece.
k Sir Edward Herbert, Knt. Overfeer, or Chief
Bailiff, of the Lord Protector's Lands in Wales.
NORFOLK. Rt. Hon. Charles Fleetwood, as one of his
Highnefs's Council, iooo/. per Ann. Lord
Deputy of Ireland, 36407. Colonel of Horfe
there, 474 /. IQS. and of Foot, 3657. Alfo
Colonel of Horfe in England, 474 /, IOJ.
and Major-General of the Counties of Ox-
ford,
c In order to carry this Eleftion many of the Soldiers threw off their Uniform, put
on other Clothes, and polled as Houfekeepers. Narrative before cited.
Norwich C.
Of ENGLAND. M
ford) Buckingham, Hertford, Cambridge and
Ifle of Ely, E/ex, Norfolk, and Suffolk ; the
Protestor's Sen -in- Law, having, married his
cldeft Daughter, Bridget, Irctons Widow.
Sir John Hobart, Bart.
Sir William D'Oiley, Knt.
Sir Ralph Hare, Bart.
Sir Horatio Townftiend, Bart.
Philip Woodhoufe, Efq;
k Col. Robert Wilton.
k Col. Robert Wood.
k John Buxton, Efq;
Thomas Mother ton, Efq;
Bernard Church, Efq;
John Hobart, Efq;
T. Major-General Difbrowe, made his Election
for Somerf etjhire. In his Place, Guibbon
Goddard, Efq-, Recorder.
Rt. Hon. Philip Skippon, as one of his High-
nefs's Council, 1000 A per Ann. and Major-
General of London, 666 /. 1 3 s. 4.0".
Great Yarmouth Charles George Cocke, one of the Judges of
T. the Admiralty, 500 /. per Ann. and as Com-
miflioner of the Prerogative Court, 300 /.
Major William Burton.
NORTH AMP- Rt. Hon. Sir Gilbert Pickering, Bart, as one
TONSHIRE. of his Highnefs's Council, iooo/. per Ann.
alfo Chamberlain of the Court, and High
Steward of Weflminjler.
k Rt. Hon. John Lord Cleypole, Son-in-Law
to the Lord Protedror, having married his fe-
cond Daughter, Elizabeth; and Matter of
the Horfe to his Highnefs.
William Boteler, Efq; as Major of Horfe, 3587.
13*. 4</. per Ann. and Major-General of
the Counties of Northampton, Bedford, Rut"
land, and Huntingdon, 6661. 13*. 4 d.
James Langham, of Cottefbrooke, Efq;
Thomas Crew, of Stene, Efq;
Alexander Blake, Efq; one of the Receivers of
the Public Revenues, 300 /. per Ann.
Peterborough C. Francis St. John, Efq;
North-
JLXISD,
upon
12 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Northampton T. Francis Hervey, of Wefton-Favell, Efq;
L- William Fenwick, of Wallington, Efq; Mafter
of Sherborn Hofpital.
Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas Widdrington, Knt. Re-
corder of York, as Speaker of the Houfe,
35 /. per Week, befides 5/. for every private
Act patted, and 5/. for every Stranger na-
turaliz'd ; alfo a Commiffioner of the Trea-
fury, 1000 /. per Ann.
Robert Fenwick, of Bedljngton, Efq;
Rt. Hon. Walter Strickland, as one of his
Highnefs's Council, IOOO/. per Ann. alfo
Captain of his Grey-Coat Foot- Guard at
Whitehall.
Col. George Fenwick^ of Brenkbornfy Governor
of Leith.
NOTTINGHAM- Edward Whalley, Efq; as CommifTary- General
of the Horfe, 273 /. 155. per Ann. as Colo-
nel of a Regiment of Horfe, 474.7. ioj. and
as Major- General of the Counties of Lincoln,
Nottingham, Derby, Warwick, and Leicejier^
666 7. 13 s. Afd.
Edward Cludd, Efq; one of the Committee for
the Army.
Edward Nevil, Efq;
Peni/lon Whalley, Efq\
T.
SHIRE.
Nottingham T. Col. James Chadwick, one of the Judges of
the Peverel Court at Nottingham, an old op-
preflive Office newly revived by the Lord
Prote&or.
William Drury, Alderman.
. Lord Deputy Fleetwood, made his Election for
Norfolk.
k William Lenthall, Efq; late Speaker of the
Long Parliament, Mafter of the Rolls, worth
about 2OOO /. per Ann.
k Robert Jenkinfon, Efq;
k Miles Fleetwood, Efq; one of the Clerks of
the Privy-Seal, about 500 /. per Ann.
k Sir Francis Norris, Knt.
k Rt. Hon. Nathaniel Fiennes, as one of his
Highnefs's Council, icoo/. per Ann. a
Com-
Oxford Univer-
fry.
QxfordC,
(food/lock E.
RUTLAND-
SHIRE.
SHROPSHIRE,
Shrew/bury.
Bridgnortb B,
Ludlow B,
SOMERSET-
SHIRE.
Bath C.
Of ENGLAND. 13
Commiffioner of the Great- Seal iooo/. and,
as Keeper of the Privy-Seal, fuppofed iooo/.
more.
k Richard Croke, Efq; Recorder.
Major- General William Packer, as Colonel of
Horfe, 474 /. ioj. per Ann.
William Shields, Efq;
Abel Barker^ Efq-,
Thomas Mackworth, Efq; Farmer of the Ex-
cife in Lancajhire.
Philip Young, Efq;
, Col. Samuel Moore.
Col. Andrew Lloyd.
Col. Humphrey Maekworth, Governor of the
Garrifon there.
Samuel Jones, Efq\
Edward Waring, Efq; Captain of a County
Troop, ioo/. per Ann. and a Farmer of the
Excife.
£ John AJlon, Efq\
Rt. Hon. Major-General John Difbrowe, as
one of his Highnefs's Council, iooo/. per
Ann. General at Sea, 10957. Col. of Horfe,
474 /. 10 s. as Major-General of the Coun-
ties of Gloucejier> Wilts, Dorfet, Somerfet*
Devon^ and Cornwall^ 666 /. 13*. 4</. He
married the Lord Protector's Sifter.
John Euckland, Ef&
Alexander Pop ham , Efq;
Robert Long, Efq',
k Col. John Gorges, Captain of a County
Troop, iQol.perAnn.
Francis Luttrell, Efq;
k John Afhe, Efq;
John Harrington, Efq;
k Sir Liflebone Long, Recorder of London^
Knighted by the Lord Prote&or Dec.i 5, 1665,
William Wyndham, Efq;
Francis Rolle, Efq;
k Robert Aldworth, Efq;
John Doditeridge* Efq\
James Aflje, Efq; Recorder,
H
Welh C.
The Parliamentary HISTORY
John Jenkyn, Efq; Captain of Horfe, 2737. per
Ann.
Taunton B, Robert Blake, Efq; as General at Sea, 1095 ^
per jinn, befides other Advantages.
Col. Thomas Gorges, one of the Commif-
iioners for the Taxes upon new Buildings
about London and IVeftminJler*
Bridge-water B. k Sir Thomas Wroth, Knt.
SOUTHAMP- Rt. Hon. Lord Richard Cromwell, made 'his
TONSHIRE. Election for the Univeriity of Cambridge.
Major- General William Goffe, as Colonel of
Horfe, 474/. IGJ. per Ann. and as Major-
General of the Counties of SuJJex^ Southamp-
ton, and Berks, 6661. 13*. \d.
Robert Wallop, of Hurfley, Efq;
Richard Norton, of South wick, Efq; Colonel of
a Regiment of Foot, and Governor of Portf*
mouth.
Thomas Cole, of Lifs, Efq;
John Bulk ley i of Over-Burget, Efa
Richard Cobb, of King's- Gate- Street, Efq; -
IVincheftr C.
Edward Hooper, of South-Stoneham,
John Hildefley, of Hinton, :
Portfmoutb T.
Ifaot Wight.
Efq; aCommiifion-
er of the Prerogative Office, 300 /. per Ann.
and one of the Committee for the Army.
Southampton T. k Rt. Hon. John Lifle, one of the Commiffion-
ers of the Great Seal, iooo/. per Ann.
k Thomas Smith, Efq; Commiffioner of the
Navy, 300 /. per Ann.
Col. William Sydenham, made his Election
for Dorfet/hire. In his Place, Roger Hill,
Efq; one of the Barons of the Exchequer,
IOOO/. per Ann.
k Capt.Thomas Bowerman, Deputy-Governor
of the Tfle of Wight, with the Command of
the Caftles of Sandotvn and Weymouth^ alfo
a Captain of Foot.
Thomas Huffey, of Huno;erford-Park, Efq;
k Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Wolfeley, Bart, as one
of his Highnefs's Council, iooo/. per Ann.
Thomas Crompton. Efq;
k Thomas Whitegrave, Efqj Captain of a
County
Andover B.
STAFFORD-
SHIRE.
Litcbfield C.
Sta/ord T.
Newcajlle un-
der Line.
SUFFOLK.
Of E N G L A N D. 15
County Troop, ioo/. per Ann.
Thomas Minors, Efq;
k Martin Noel, of London, Scrivener. Has a
Share in the Pott- Office with Secretary
Thurloe.
John Bowycr, Efq\
Sir Henry Felton, ofPlayford, Bart.
SirThomasBarnardifton, of Keddington, Knt.
Henry North, of Wyckombrook, Efq\
Edmund Harvey , of Wyckombjkeyth, Efq\
Edward Le Neve, of Bre ttenham, Efq\
John SickUmore, of Ipfwich, Efq\
William B/oys, of Ipjwich, Efq;
William-Gibbet, of Stoke- Nayiand, Efq\
k Robert Brewfter, of Wrentham, Efq;
Daniel Wall, of Stratford, Efq;
tpfivtch T. k Nathaniel Bacon,
St. Edmundf-
bury B. • .
Dunwicb B.
Sudbury B,
SURREY.
Maers of
.
Re-
Southward B.
GuildfordZ.
Samuel Moody, Efq;
John Clarke, Efq; as Colonel of Foot, 3657.
per Ann. as a Commiflioner of the Admi-
ralty, 500 /. He married Secretary Tkurfae's
Sifter.
Francis Brewfter, of Wrentham, Efqj
Col. John Fothergill.
•k Sir Richard Onflow, Knt.
Arthur Onflow, Efq;
k Francis Drake, Efq;
Maj. Lewis Audley, a Place in the Ordnance-
Office, 300 /. per Ann. Captain of a County
Troop, and a Deputy-Major-General for
this County and Kent.
k George Duncomhe, Efq;
Capt. John Black well, Treafurer of the Army,
600 /. per Ann.
Samuel Highland, Efq;
k Peter De la Noy, Efq;
Maj. Gen. Kelfey, made his Election for Do-
ver. In his Place, John Hewfon, Efq; Co-
lonel ttf Foot, and Governor of Dublin.
t
16
JRyegate B.
SUSSEX.
fbe Parliamentary HISTOHV
Sir Thomas Pryde, an Colonel of Foot, 365 /»
per Ann. belide? his great Profit as Brewer to
the State. His Daughter married a Nephew
of the Protedtor, who knighted him Jan. 19,
Clichefter C.
Lewes B.
JEaft-Grinftead'R
Arundel B.
WARWICK-
SHIRE.
Coventry C.
Warwick B.
WESTMORE-
LAND.
WILTSHIRE.
nt. A Relation of the
Herbert Morley^ ofG/yne, Efq\
Sir John Pelham, Bart.
John Fagg, of Whiflon^ Efq;
JohnStapley, Efq;
Anthony Shirley, £fq;
George Courthorpe, ofTyfeburJl^ Efqi
Sir Thomas Riven* Bart.
Sir Thomas Parker, Knt.
Samuel Gott, Efq\
Henry Peckham, Efq-9
Anthony Scapley, £fq;
.kJohn Goodwin, Efq\
k Sir John Trevor, Kn
Lord Protestor.
k Richard Lucy, Efq; a Commiflioner of the
Prerogative Office, 300 /. per Ann. and one
of the Committee for the Army*
Sir Roger Burgoyne, Knt.
Edward Peyto, E-q;
Jofeph Hawkfworth, Efq; Governor of War-
wick Caftle, and Captain ®f Foot.
t Major Robert Beake, a Commiflioner of the
Admiralty, 500 /. per Ann.
Col. William Purefoy.
k Clement Throckmorton^ Efq\
Chriftopher Lifter, Efq; one of the Tellers e£
the Exchequer, 500 /. per Ann*
Thomas Burton, E(q;
Sir Anthony Ajhiey Cooper* Bart.
Sir Walter St. John, Bart.
Sir Alexander Popham, Knt.
Thomas Grove, Efq;
Alexander Thiftlethwaite, Efq;
John Bulkley, Efo
Richard Grubharn Howe, Efq;
William Ludlow, of Clarendon-Park, Efq;
Captain of a County Troop, ioo/. per Ann.
Henry
Of E N G L A N D. 17
Henry Hungerfordy of Farleigh-CaJIIey Efq\
k Gabriel Martin, Efqj
SalfiuryC. Edward Tooker, Efq;
James Heeley, Efq; Lieutenant of a County
Troop.
Marlborough B. Jeremy Sankey, Efq; Colonel of Horfe in 7r*-
landy 474 /• IOJ. />*r v/«».
Devizes B. Edward Scotten, Efq; Captain of Horfe, 273/.
/>*r y/»«.
WORCESTER- Maj. Gen. James Berry, Colonel of Horfe,
SHIRE. 474 /. \ss.perAnn. and Major- General of
the Counties of JVorceJler, Hereford^ and Sa-
lop, and alfo of North-Wales^ 6661. 13 s. ^d.
k Sir Thomas Roufe, Bart.
k Edward Pitt, of Kiere-Park, Efq;
Nicholas Lechmere, Efqj Attorney of the
Duchy of Lancafler.
John Nanfan, Efq;
Edmund Giles, Efq; one of the Mafters in
Chancery. He married a Relation of the
Lord Protector.
William Collins, Efq;
Sir William Strickland, Bart.
Col. Hugh Bethell,
Richard Darky , Efq;
Henry Darley^ Efq;
Rt. Hon. Lord Lambert, as one of his High-
nefs's Council, iooo/. per Ann. a Major-
General of the Army, 3657. Colonel of a
Regiment of Horfe, 474 /. los. of a Regi-
ment of Foot, 365 /. and, as Major-General
of the fiveNorthern Counties, 666A 13*. 4</.
alfo one of the Lords of the Cinque Ports.
Francis Thorp t Efq; Serjeant at Law.
Ccl. Henry Ternpejl,
Henry Artkingtcn, Efq;
Capt. Edward Gill,
'Jchn Stanhope, Efq;
North-Riding. George Lord Eurc.
Maj. Gen. Robert Lilburne, Colonel of Horfe,
474 /. 10 s. per Ann.
VOL. XXI. B Luke
Worccfier C.
YORKSHIRE.
Eajl-Riding.
TVeJl-R'iding.
i
1 8 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Luke Robinfon, Efq;
Francis Lafcelles, Efq;
York C. Sir Thomas Widdrington, Knt. made his Elec-
tion for Northumberland, In his Place Johri
Geldart, Alderman : He was Lord Mayor
of York in 1653, and prefented an Addrefe
of Congratulation from that City to Crom-
Ivelly upon his Advancement to the Protec-
torate. See Vol. 20, p. 277.
Sir Thomas Dickenfon, Alderman. Knighted
by the Lord Protedtor, March 3, 1656.
KingJJon on Hull. William Lifter, Efq; Recorder.
Beverley B. Francis Thorpe , Efq; Serjeant at Law.
Scarbrtugh B. Edward Salmon, of Havering in Effex, Efq; as
Colonel of Foot, 3657. per Ann. and Com-
miflioner of the Admiralty, 500 /.
Richmond B. k John Bathurft, M. D.
Leeds. Adam Baynes, Efq; as Captain of Horfe, 273 /.
per Ann. and as one of the Committee for
Prefervation of Excife and Cuftoms, 300 /.
Halifax. Jeremy Bentley, Efq;
C I N d U E PORTS.
Dover. Lieut. Col. Kelfey, as Commiflioner of the
Admiralty, 500 /. per Ann. as Major-Ge-
neral of the Counties of Kent and Surrey,
6661. 131. 4</. alfo Governor of Dover
Caftle.
Sandwich. James Thurbarne, Efq-y
Rye. William Hay, Efq;
WALES.
ANGLESEY. k Col. George Twifleton.
k Griffith Bodville, Efq; A Commiflioner of
the Wine- Office at Weftminfter.
BRECON. Rt. Hon. Col. Philip Jones, made his Election
for Glamorgan/hire. In his Place, Robert
Nicholas, Efq; one of the Barons of the Ex-
chequer, i ooo /. per Ann.
Evan Lewis, Efq; Captain of a County Troop.
CARDIGAN. Col. James Philips, made his Election for Pern-
brokejhire. In his Place, Col. James Lewis.
Col.
O/* ENGLAND. 19
k Col. John Clarke, one of the Commiffioners
of the Admiralty, 500 /. per Ann.
CARMARTHEN. Rt. Hon. Lord Cleypole : Made his Election
for Northamptonjlnre. In his Place, Robert
Atkins, Efq;
Col. Rowland Dawkins, as Maj. Gen. of Man-
mouthjhire and South-Wales, 6667. 13*. 4^.
per Ann. alfo Governor of Carmarthen.
CARNARVON, k Henry Lawrence, Efq; Son to the Lord Pre-
fident of his Highnefs's Council,
k Robert Williams, of Conway, Efq; a Rela-
tion of the Lord Protector.
DENBIGH. Col. John Jones, made his Election for Meri-
oneth. In his Place Col. Simon Theloall.
k Col. John Carter.
FLINT. k Rt. Hon. John Glynn, Lord Chief Juflice of
the Upper Bench, 1000 /. per Ann.
k John Trevor, Elq; a Relation of the Lord
Protect or.
GLAMORGAN, k Col. Philip Jones, as one of his Highnefs's
Council, 1000 /. per Ann. Steward of the
Lord Protector's Lands in Wales, and Cuftos
Rotulorum of two Counties there.
Edmund Thomas, Efq;
Caerdlff T. John Price, Efq; Receiver-General of South-
Wales.
MERIONETH. Col. John Jones, Governor of the Ifle of Angle-
fey. He married the Lord Protector's Sifter.
MONTGOMERY. £ Hugh Price, Efq; Captain of a County Troop,
and Governor of Red-Cajlle.
k Charles Lloyd, of Garth, Efq;
PEMBROKE. k Col. James Philips, one of the Committee of
the Army.
Col. John Clarke, made his Election for Car-
digunjhire. In his Place, Sir John Tho-
roughgood, Knt. one of the Truftees for dif-
pofing of Augmentations for the better Main-
tenance of Miniftersi for which he has a
confiderable Salary.
llt.i-erford-iyejl.k John Upton, Efq; one of the Commiilioners
of the Cuftoms,
B 2 RAD-
20 The Parliamentary HISTORY
RADNOR. George Gwynn, Efq;
Henry Williams, Efq;
SCOTLAND.
SHIRES.
Rofs, Sutherland, znACromarty^ Dr. Thomas Clarges, ofWefl:-
minfter.
Invernefs, Thomas Fitch, Efq; Colonel of Foot, 3657. per Ann.
and Governor of Inverness.
Bamjfi k Dr. Alexander Douglas.
Aberdeen^ William Mitchel, Efq; Colonel of Foot, 3657. per Ann.
Forfar and Kinkardine, k Colonel David Barclay, of Urie.
Fife and Kinrofs, k Sir John Wemyfs, of Bogie, Knt. Tenant to
the State for the Salt Pans near Leitb, a very benefi-
cial Place.
Perthy Sir Edward Rhodes, one of his Highnefs's Council for
Scotland.
Linlithgow, Stirling, and Clackmannan, k Godfrey Rhodes, Efq;
Dumbarton, Argyle, and Bute, k Capt. John Lockhart.
Aire and Renfre^v, k William Lord Cochran, of Dundonald.
Lanerk, k Col. William Lockhart, of Lee, one of his High-
nefs's Council in Scotland.
Mid-Lothian, Samuel Difbrowe, Efq; one of his Highnefs's
Council in Scotland, Son to the Major- General.
Merce, John Swinton, of Swinton, Efq; one of the Judges of
Scotland, 600 /. per Ann.
Roxborough, William Ker, of Newton, Efq;
Selkirk and Peebles, Henry WThalley, Efq; Judge-Advocate of
the Army \nScotland, 273!. i$s. per Ann. Brother
to the Commiflary-General.
Dumfries, George Smith, Efq; one of the Judges in Scotland,,,
600 /. per Ann.
Wigton, Sir James MacDowel, of Garthland, Knt. one of the
Commiffioners of the Cuftoms at Leitb, about 300 /.
per Ann.
Eaft-Lothian, k John Earl of Tweedale.
Orkney, Zetland, and Caithnefs, Col. Robert Stewart.
Elgin and Nairn, k Richard Beake, Efq; He married the Lord
Protector's Niece, and a Captain in his Highnefs's
Life- Guard, 51 1 /. per Ann.
CITIES
Of ENGLAND. 21
CITIES and BOROUGHS.
Edinburgh k Roger Boyle, Lord Broghill, Prefident of his High-
nefs's Council in Scotland, made his Election for the
County of Cork in Ireland, k Andrew Ramfay, Efq;
Lord Provoft of Edinburgh.
Dornoch, Tayne, Invernefs, Dingwall, Nairn% Elgin, and Forres9
k Robert WooJfely, Efq; Commiflary of Airjbire.
Banff and Aberdeen, ^Stephen VVinthorpe, of Aberdeen, Efq;
Colonel of Horfe, 474 /. JO*, per Ann.
Forfar, Dundee, Aberbrothock, Msntrofe, and Brechin Sir Alex-
ander Wedderburn, of Blacknefs, Knt.
Linlithgow, Queen's -Ferry, Perth, Culrofs, and Stirling, k Col.
Henry Markham, one of the Commiffioners for let-
ting the forfeited Eftates in Ireland, 300 /. per Ann.
St. Andrews, Dyfart, Kirkaldy, Coupar, AnJJruther-EaJler9
P'tttniueen, Crail, Dumfermling, Kinghorn, Anjtru-
ther-iyejler, Innerkeithing, Kilrenny, and Burnt- Jfland9
Col. Nathaniel Whetham, one of the Council in Scot-
land, about 500 /. per Ann.
Lanerk, Glafgow, Rutherglen, Rothfay, Renfrew, Aire, Irvin,
and Dumbarton, George Talbot, Efq; Col. of Foot,
365 /. per Ann.
Dumfries, Sanquhar, Lochmaben, Annan, IVigton, Kirkcud-
bright, lyhitehorn, and Galloway, Col. Salmon, made
his Election for Scarborough. In his Place, Col.
Thomas Talbot.
Peebles, Selkirk, "Jedburgb, Louder, North-Berwick, Dunbar^
and Haddington, George Downing, Efq; Scout- Mafter
General, made his Eledion for Carlifie. In his Place,
John Vincent, of Warnford, in Northumberland, Efq;
IRELAND.
COUNTIES.
Meath and Lowth, k John Fowke, Efq; Colonel of Foot, 365 A,
per Ann. and Governor of Dragheda. k Major Wil-
liam Afton.
Kildare and ff'icklow, Sir Hardrefs Waller, Knt. as a Major-
General in the Army, 365 /. per Ann. and Colonel
of Foot ; made his Election for Kerry, Limerick, and
Clare.
83 k Anthony
22 The Parliamentary HISTORY
£ Anthony Morgan, Efq; Major of Horfe, 3587.
13 s. tfd.
Dublin, k John Byfle, Efq; Recorder of Dublin.
Catherlsugb, Wexford, Kilkenny, and Queen's County, Thomas
Sadler, Efq; Colonel of Foot, 365 /. per Ann.
Daniel Redman, Efq; Major of Horfe in Ireland,
358 1 13*. 4</.
Weft-Meatb, Longford, and King's County, k Sir Theophilus
Jones, Knt. Major of Horfe, 358 /. 13 s. ^d.
k Henry Owen, Efq; Major of Horfe, 358 7.13. f. 4</.
Dawn, Antrim, and Armagh, Thomas Cooper, Efq; Colonel of
a Regiment of Foot in Scotland, and another in Ireland ';
alfo Governor of Carickfergus.
Lieutenant- Colonel James Trayle.
Derry, Donegal, and Tyrone, k Lieutenant- Colonel Triftram Ee-
resford, ofColerane.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Newburgh, ofLiffbrd.
Cavan, Fermannagb, and Monoghan, Richard Blaney, Efq;
Kerry, Limerick, and Clare, Sir Hardrefs Waller, Knt.
Henry Ingoldfby, Efq; Colonel of Foot, the Protec-
tor's Kinfman.
Cork, k Roger Boyle, Lord Broghill, as Prefident of the Coun-
cil in Scotland, 1000 /. per Ann. befides otherAdvanta-
ges ; and, as Colonel of Horfe in Ireland, 474. /. 10 s.
Tipperary and Waterford, k Sir John Reynolds, as Commiflary-
General of Horfe in Ireland, 273 /. per Ann. and as
Colonel of Horfe there, 474 /. 10 s. Knighted by thq
Lord Protector June n, 1655.
Daniel Abbot, Efj; Colonel of Dragoons in Ireland.
Sligo, Rofcommon, and Le Tjrirn, Sir Robert King, Knt. Commif-
fary of the Mufters.
k John Bridges, Efq; Captain of Foot, 146 /. per Ann.
Gal-way and Mayo, Sir Charles Coot, Knt. and Bart. Prefi-
dent of Connaught.
k Lieutenant-Colonel John Bret.
CITIES and TOWNS.
Dublin, k Richard Tigh, Efq; Mayor of the faid City.
Limerick and Killmallock, k Walter Waller, Efq; Son of Sir Har-
drefs Waller.
Waterford and Clonmel, k Capt. William Halfey.
Ca-
'Of E N G L A N D. 23
CarickfergM* and Belfajl, John Davies, Efq; Inter-regnum.
Cork and Toughal, k Maj. Gen. William Jephfon. l656-
Bandon and Kingfalt, k Vincent Gookyn, Efq; one ''~
of the Commifiioners for letting the for-
feited Eftates in Ireland, 300 /. per Ann.
Derry and Colerane, Ralph King, of Londonderry,
Efq; one of the Commiflioners for letting
the forfeited Eftates in Ireland, 300 /. per
Ann.
The foregoing Lift confirms Mr. Ludlow's Ob~
fervation, * That tho' about one hundred Englijh
Members, elected by their Country, were kept out
of the Houfe ; yet thofe for Scotland and Ireland,
being chofen by the Sword, were admitted without
Scruple.' f
Having thus endeavoured to exhibit the beft Idea
we could of the Characters of the Members which
conftituted this Partial and Unconstitutional AfTem-
bly, we (hall now give an Account of their Pro-
ceedings.
On the iyth of September, being the Day ap-The Meeting of
pointed for the Meeting of the Parliament, the-£rTw//'s lhird
Journals inform us, That the Lord Protedor, at- a'
tended by his Council, with the Officers of State
and of the Army, the Gentlemen of his Houmold,
and his Guards, came to the Abbey Church, about
Ten in the Morning ; where the Members being
met, a Sermon was preached before them by Dr.
John Owen, Vice-Chancellor of the Univermy of
Oxford, on this Text, What Jhall one then anfwer
the MeJJengers of the Nation? That the Lord hath
founded Zion, and the Poor of his People Jball trvfl
in it. Ifaiah xiv, v. 32.
After Sermon, the Lord Protector and the Par-
liament alTembled in the Painted-Chamber, whete
his Highnefs was pleafed to communicate to them
the Occafion of their Meeting.
Upon
f Abmolrs, Vol. II. p. 579.
See alfo Lord Brogbill and Henry Cr«wwf//'s Letters to Secretary
Iburloi, relating to the Eleftiom in Scttlar.J and Ireland.
Tburlie, Vol. V. p. 195, 303, 311, 3*7.
24 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum, Upon the ftricteft Refearch, we have not been
l_ — — ,lwj a^e to nieet with Cromwell's Speech at the Open-
September *n§ °^ tn's P^iament; nor is there the leaft Sketch
of it in the Journals of the Houfe, the Diaries, or
the Contemporary Writers. From hence we are in-
clined to think that, for Reafons of State, it was
never printed.
However, a Letter to Cardinal Mazarin, from
the French Ambaffador at London, informs us g,
* That the Lord Protector very much enlarged him-
felf againft Spain; exaggerating all the Enterprizes,
which the Spaniards had formerly attempted againft
England, and the Motives which obliged him to
break with that Nation : That he alfo feemed to be
perfuaded that his Catholic Majefty and the Duke
of Newburgb had engaged to furnifli the King
[Charles II.] with 9000 Men, to be tranfported in-
to England : But that, in regard there were very
few Advices conformable to this, many believed it
an Invention of Cromwell's, calculated to raife an
Alarm, and to keep the Army united to his Inte-
refts at this prefent Conjuncture.'— Thefe few
Hints being all we have been able to collect of the
Lord Protector's Speech at opening the Seflion, we
proceed to obferve, that his Highnefs having fintih'd
his Harangue in the Painted- Chamber, the Members
repaired to their Houfe ; where, to the Surprize of
all thofe that were not in the Secret, fpme Perfons,
by the Lord Protector's Appointment, attended at
Several Members tjie J)oor> to receive of each Member the following
Set inio the Certificate, before he was permitted to enter:
Sept. 17, 1656.
County of
Thefe are to certify, That A. B. is returned, by
Indenture, one of the Knights to ferve in this prefent
Parliament for the faid County, and is approved by
his Highnefs's Council.
NATH. TAYLOR,
Clerk of the Commonwealth in Chancery.
Lord
g M. de Bourdeattx's Letter to Cardinal Maxarin, dated Sept. 28,
1656, N, S. f burke" s State Pafert, Vol. V. p. 427. "
Of E N G L A N D. 25
Lord Clarendon writes, ' That Cromwell impofed
a Subfcription upon the Members before they fat,
purporting, * That they would a«5t Nothing preju- *~7
' dicul to the Government, as it was eftabliftied CFta
4 under a Protector \ and that the major Part frankly
fubmitted and fubfcribed h. This appears to be a
Miftake, for no fuch Teft was offered ; but they were
obliged to produce a Certificate as above recited :
Indeed the Members of the Parliament elected in
Stptember^ 1654, were required to fubfcribe only
fuch a Declaration as his Lordlhip mentions ; but,
in this Parliament, the Matter was carried much
higher.
Such of the Members as produced their PafTport
from the Council, having taken their Seats in the
Houfe, the Lord Gommiflioner Lijle put them in
Mind, That their firft Work was to chufe a Speaker \
and propofed Sir Thomas lyiddrtngton, Serjeant at
Law, as a Perfon of great Integrity and Experience
in relation to Parliamentary Bufinefs, and every
Way qualified for that Service: Which being ap-
proved of, he took the Chair accordingly; but with-
out being prefented to the Lord Protector for his
Approbation: A Circumftance of Royalty, which
Cromwell never thought fit to affume.
The next Day the Houfe appointed a Faft to be
held on the 24th of this Month, by the Members
thereof, in Margaret'^, Church, Wejlminfter\ and an
extraordinary Number of Preachers were affigned for
this Solemnity. The 2gth Day of Ottober enfuing
was alfo appointed for a General Faft, throughout
the three Nations, by a Declaration ordered to be
drawn up and fet forth for that Purpofe.
The Houfe alfo appointed Committees on feveral
Occafions ; for Privileges and Elections ; for Reli-
gion ; Courts of Juftice, and for Trade. Sir Cherries
jydfeley prefented a Bill, For renouncing and difan-
nulling the pretended Title of Charles Stuart to tie
Crown of England, &c. which was read twice, and
committed.
The
h ttijtory, Vol. VI. f. 587.
26 The Parliamentary HISTORY
inter-regnum. The fame Day an Affair of great Confequence
l6sf- happened, which fo engaged the Attention of the
*""*"I"'^T Houfe, as to prevent all other Proceedings for fome
Time. Sir George Booth prefented a Letter, di-
rected to the Speaker, which he was ordered to read
privately firft ; and, afterwards, it was read openly,
in thefe Words :
S I R,
They prefer a TftTE whofe Names are fubfcribed, with others, be-
° " ™S c"°fen-> and accordingly returned, to fervc
r« o M
Speaker° Sir with you in this Parliament ; and, in Difcharge of
Thomas Wid- our Tru/l, offering to go into the Houfe, were, at
the Lobby Door, kept , back by Soldiers : Which, left
we Jhould be wanting in our Duty to you and to our
Gauntry, we have thought it e>fpedient to reprefent
unto you, to be communicated to the Houje, that we
may be admitted thereinto. *
On the Reading of this it was ordered, That the
Clerk of the Commonwealth in Chancery be com-
manded to attend the Houfe the next Morning, with
all the Indentures of Returns of Knights, Citizens,
and BurgefTes, chofen to ferve in this Parliament,
when they would take this Bufmefs into farther Con-
fideration.
Accordingly, September 19, the Deputy-Clerk of
the Commonwealth attending at the Door, he was
called in; and, by Order of the Houfe, the Speaker
demanded of him, Where 'the Clerk of the Common-
wealth was ? To which he anfwered, That he was
at his Houfe out of Town when the Warrant came ;
that he expected him that Morning, and fo did not
fend for him ; but that he did not come. Being
afk'd, Whether he had all the Indentures with him
for England and Wales ? He anfwer'd, Yes ; and,
by Command of the Speaker, produced that for
the Election in Norfolk, and read it ; in which was
returned Sir Ralph Hare. Being afk'd, Why that
GCH-
i The Names of the Members who figned this Letter, are not
entered in the Journals : We fuppofe they were the fame Perfons
who fubfcribed the following Remonftrance.
1656.
-V—
September.
Of E N G L A N D. 27
Gentleman was not returned to Parliament? He faid, Inter-regnum.
Secaufe he had no Certificate of Approbation for him j
and gave the like Anfwer as to all the reft of the
Members, who had been refufed Admittance into the
Houfe. The Deputy-Clerk being withdrawn, the
Speaker informed the Houfe, That he had called
over all the PLces for whom any Perfon was chofen,
whofe Name was fubfcribed to the foregoing Letter,
and found them all to have been returned in the re-
IpecYive Indentures.
Soon after the Clerk of the Commonwealth, him-
felf, attended the Houfe, when the Speaker ac-
quainted him, ' That, upon Perufal of the Inden-
tures, it appeared that divers Perfons elected were
not returned to the Houfe : And demanding, By
•what Order it was not done ? He anfvvered, That he
received an Order from his Highnefs's Council., to
deliver Tickets to all fuch Perfons ', and fuch only, as3 .
being returned to ferve in Parliament, Jhould be cer-
tified unto him, from the Council, as Perfons by them
approved : And that he did receive fever al Orders of
Approbation for feveral Perfons, and made out the
Tickets accordingly. Being afk'd, If he had the Or-
der itfelf? After fome Evafion he produced it, fub-
fcribed by Mr. Je/op, Clerk of the Council; which
was read. And then the Houfe adjourned till the
next Morning; when, the Debate being refumed,
it was refolved, That the Council be defircd to give,
on the Monday next, their Reafons why thofe Mem-
bers, returned from the feveral Counties and Bo-
roughs, were not approved, and why they were not
admitted to come into the Houfe. In Anfwer to
which Requelr, on the 22d, the Lord Commiflioner
Fiennes reported, by Word of Mouth, from the
Council, That he was commanded by them to re-
turn this humble Reply : That whereas, by the lift
Article a/" The Government of the Commonwealth k,
the Clerk of the Chancery was required to certify the
Names of the Perfons returned to him, and the Places
for which they were chofen, unto the Council, why
were authorized to perufe the faid Returns, and exa-
mine
k The whole of this Inftrument is in our aoth Volume, p. 248.
28 The Parliamentary HISTORV
-Inter- regnum. mine whether the Perfons fo elefled and returned were
1656. agreeable to the Qualifications therein prefcribed, and
V* "** — ' not difabled thereby ; and that no Perfons Jhould be
September. Emitted f0 Jit in Parliament , but what were fo ap-
proved of by the major Part of the Council: And that
yvbereas, by the ijtb Article, it was declare d. That
the Perfons to be elecJed to Jerve in Parliament Jhould
le fuck, and no other than fucht as were Perfons of
known Integrity^ fearing God, and of good Converfa-
jion9 and being of the Age of twenty-one Years •
That the Council, in purfuance of their Duty, and
according to the Truft repofed in them, had exa-
mined the faid Returns ; and had not refufed to ap-
prove any who appeared to them to be within the
Defcription of the faid Article : And as to thofe who
were not approved, his Highnefs the Lord Protector
had given Orders to fome Perfons to take Care that
they fhould not come into the Houfe*' A Motion
bdn§ then made to adJourn ti!1 the next Morning,
it was carried in the Negative by j 15 Voices againft
80. And then it was refolved, by a Majority of
125 againft 29 only, That the Perfons returned from
the feveral Counties, Cities, and Boroughs, to ferve
in this Parliament, who have not been approved, be
referred to make their Application to the Council
for Approbation ; and that the Houfe do proceed
with the great Affairs of the Nation.
This laft Queftion being carried by fo great a
Majority, fufficiently (hews what Influence the Pro-
tector had in this Aflembly : However, the fecluded
Members did not reft fatisfied with, nor fubmitted
tamely to, this arbitrary Vote ; for they publifhed
a noble and fpirited Remonftrance againft this out-
rageous Act of Injuftice, which will be beft under-
ftood by its own Words :
Whereupon thcy< "T T THEN our worthy Anceftors have met in
ftUraI!«aaSnft°n"C VV Parliament, and have found Oppreflion
this injurious * and Tyranny fupported by fuch ftrong Hands that
Treatment. y they could not prevail to fecure their Country,
' Lives, and Liberties by wholefome Laws, they
* have
Of ENGLAND. 29
* have often made their Proteftations againft fuch Inter-regmitu.
* Injuftice and Oppreflion, and forwarn'd the People l656-
* of their Danger. To omit other Inftances, fo did ^ ~*~, 7*
c the Commons in Parliament, in the third and
* fourth Year of the late King ; for when he chal-
* lenged a Power to take Tonnage and Poundage
' without the People's Confent in Parliament, they
* made their Proteftation, That whofoever foould
' counfel or advife the levying of Tonnage and Pound-
* age for the King, not being granted to him by the Par-
* liament, or Jhould aft, or be an Inftrument therein^
* Jhould be refuted a capital Enemy to the Kingdom
' and Commonwealth : And alfo that whatsoever Mer-
* chant, or other Perfon, Jhould voluntarily yield cr
' pay Tonnage or Poundage^ not being granted by Par-
* Parliament, Jhould be reputed a Betrayer of the Li-
* berties of England, and an Enemy to the fame.
* In like Manner we, who have been duely cho-
* fen by the People to be Members of the Parlia-
' ment that (hould now have met, have an un-
' doubted Right to meet, fit, and vote in Parlia-
' ment, although we are opprefled by Force of
' Arms, and {hut out of the ufual Place of Parlia-
' ments fitting ; yet, having Hearts fenfible of that
* higheft Truft repofed in us, and being filled with
* Cares for the Church and Commonwealth, which
' with Grief of Heart we behold bleeding, we do
' hold ourfelves bound in Duty to God and our
* Country, to declare unto the People of England
' their and our woful Condition, and the moft evi-
* dent Danger of the utter Subverfion of Religion,
' Liberty, Right, and Property.
4 We believe the Rumour is now gone through
* the Nation, that armed Men, employed by the
* Lord Prote&or, have prevented the free meeting
' and fitting of the intended Parliament ; and have
' forcibly fhut out of Doors fuch Members as he
' and his Council fuppofed would not be frighted,
" or flattered to betray their Country, and give up
' their Religion, Lives, and Eftates, to be at his
c Will to ferve his lawlefs Ambition. But we fear
' that the Slavery, Rapines, Opprcflbns, Cruelties,
« Mur-
30 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. « Murders, and Confuflons that are comprehended
i ,i55— . f in this one horrid Fadl, are not fo fenfibly difcern-
September. ' ec^» or *° muc^ 1^ to Heart as the Cafe requires :
* And we doubt not but (as the common Practice of
* the Man hath been) the Name of God and Reli-
4 gion, and formal Fafts and Prayers, will be made
4 ufe of to colour over the Blacknefs of the Fa& :
4 We do therefore, in Faithfulnefs unto God and
* our Country, hereby remonftrate,
' Flrfti That whereas, by the Fundamental Laws
' of this Nation, the People ought not to be bound
4 by any Laws but fuch as are freely confented unto
* by their chofcn Deputies in Parliament ; and it is
* a moft wicked Ufurpation, even againft the very
* Laws of Nature, for any Man to impofe his Will
* or Difcretion upon another as a Rule, unlefs there
' be fome Pad!:, or Agreement, between the Parties
4 for that Intent : And whereas, by the Mercy
' of God alone, in preferving this Fundamental
* Law and Liberty, the good People of England
4 have, beyond Memory of any Record, preferved
* their Eftates, Families, and Lives, which had
4 otherwife been defttoyed, at the Will of every
* wicked Tyrant ; and, by keeping this as their un-
' doubted Right, they have been kept from being
' brutifh Slaves to the Lufts of their Kings, who
* would otherwife have defpoiled them of their Per-
4 fons, Lives, and Eftates, by their Proclamations,
* and the Orders of themfelves and their Courtiers,
4 as they pleafed ; and, by virtue of this their un-
* doubted Right, the People have commonly dif-
4 puted, refifted, and made void the Proclamations
* of their Kings and the Orders of their Council
* Table, where they have crofted the Laws unto
* which they have confented in their Parliaments :
4 Now the Lord Protector hath, by Force of
4 Arms, invaded this Fundamental Right and Li-
* berty, and violently prevented the meeting of the
' People's chofen Deputies in Parliament. And he
4 and his Council boldly declare, That none of the
4 People's Deputies fiall meet in Parliament, unlefs
4 they agree to the Meafure of their Fantacies, Hu-
* mours,
Of E N G L A N D. 31
e mours, or Lujls : They now render the People inter-regnu«.
fc fuch Fools, or Beads, as not to know who are .J^^^f
' fit to be trufted by them with their Lives, -Eftates, September.
6 and Families. But he and his Council, that daily
* devour their Eftates and Liberties, will judge who
' are fit to counfel and advife about Laws to pre-
4 ferve their Eftates and Liberties : Thus doth he
* now openly aflume a Power to pack an Aflembly
* of his Confidents, Parafites, and Confederates ;
' and to call them a Parliament, that he may thence
' pretend that the People have confented to become
* his Slaves, and to have their Perfons and Eftates
c at his Difcretion. And if the People fhall tamely
c fubmit to fuch a Power, who can doubt but he may
' pack fuch a Number as will obey all his Com-
* mands, and confent to his taking of what Part of
' our Eftates he pleafeth, and to ifnpofe what Yokes
1 he thinks fit to make us draw in.
« Secondly, And whereas the Parliament of Eng-
* landj confifting of the People's chofen Deputies*
' always have been, and ought to be, the Ordainers
< and Creators of Dignities, Offices, and Authori-
' ties in this Nation ; and have always, of Right,
* exercifed the Power of difpofing even the Kingly
* Office, and an Authority to enlarge and reftrain the
* Kingly Power ; to queftion, make void, or con-
* firm, all Commiffions, Proclamations, Charters,
* and Patents of any of our former Kings ; and have
* queftioned, cenfured, and judged even the Per-
' fons of our Kings for abufmg their Trufts, and in-
' vading the People's Laws, Rights, and Liberties;
* and by this Means the higheft Officers, and the
* Kings themfclves, have acknowledg'd their Power
* to be only trufted to them for the People's Wel-
' fare ; and they have always dreaded the People's
* Parliaments, who could call them to an Account
' for any Injuftice or Violence done upon the Per-
* fon or Eftate of any Man ; and hereby the People
* were fecured, under the Laws, from the Rapine and
4 Oppreflion of the higheft Grandees and Courtiers j
* even the Kings themfelves, fearing the People's
* Complaints in their Parliaments, and well know-
'ing
$2 The Parliamentary HISTORY
jnter-regnum. ' ing the People's Cuftom to chufe for their Depu-
1656. « ties the molt known Champions for their Liber-
~ * *'es» agamft tne arbitrary Powers and Injuftice of
^ f£jngs amj t^ejr (Jourtjers . anc] none of the
' moft wicked Kings, in their higheft Hope to erecl:
' a Tyranny, ever dared, fmce Members were fent
' to Parliaments by Elections, to throw afide, by
* Force, as many of the chofen Members as they
* thought would not ferve their Ends ; they know-
' ing it to be the undoubted Right of the People to
' truft whom they think fit, and as much the Right
' of every Man, duly chofen and trufted, to meet
' and vote in Parliament without afking their Leave
' or begging their Tickets.
' And although there hath been, frequently, fe-
' cret Deflgns, for many Years, to fubvert Religion,
* Liberty, and Property in this Nation; and to that
* End the Defigns of Tyranny nave attempted to
4 deftroy fometimes the Being, and fometimes the
* Power, Privileges, and Freedom of Parliaments ;
* yet the Mercy of God hath almoft miraculoufly
* preferved the Being, Privileges, and Authority of
* Parliaments ; and therein Religion, Liberty, and
* Property, untill the Time of the Lord Protector :
* But now he hath aflumed an abfolute arbitrary So-
* vereignty (as if he came down from the Throne
' of God) to create in himfelf and his Confederates,
' fuch Powers and Authorities as muft not be under
* the Cognizance of the People's Parliaments. His
6 Proclamations he declares fliail be binding Laws
' to Parliaments themfelves ; he takes upon him to
* be above the whole Body of the People of Eng-
' /and, and to judge and cenfure the whole Body and
' every Member of it, by no other Rule or Law
* than his Pleafure, as if he were their abfolute
* Lord, and had bought all the People of England
* for his Slaves.
4 Doubtlefs, if he would pretend only to have
* conquered England at his own Expence, and were
' there as much Truth as there is Falfehood in that
* Pretence, yet he could not but know that the
* Right of the People's Deputies in Parliament, to
« their
Of E N G L A N D. 33
6 their antient Powers and Privileges, would remain
* good againft him, as againft their public capital
* Enemy, whom every Man ought to deftroy; wntijl,
' by fome Agreement with the Body of the People in
* Parliament, fome Sort of governing Power in him
' were fubmitted unto ; that hereby he might ceafe
* to be a public Enemy and Deftroyer, and become
*• a King or Governor, according to the Conditions
' accepted by the People ; and if he would fo pre-
* tend, he could not be fo difcharged from his public
* Enmity by any Conditions or Agreement made
' with a Part of the People's chofen Deputies, whilft
* he (hut out the other Part ; for no Part of the Re-
' prefentative Body are trufted to confent to- any
4 Thing in the Nation's Behalf, if the Whole have
1 not their free Liberty of debasing and voting in the
4 Matters propounded.
c If he would pretend no higher than to be our
6 Conqueror, who, for Pe^ce and his own Safety's
* Sake, was content to ceafe from being a public
* Enemy, and to be admitted a Governor, he could,
' not compafs thofe Ends by forcibly excluding (as
fc now he hath done) whom he pleafed of the Re-
* prefentative Body of the People, who were to fub-
* mit to him in the People's Behalf; therefore h&
* either takes upon him to be fuch a Conqueror as
* fcorns the People's Acceptance of him, by their
6 Reprefentative, as their Governor, and fears not
* to remain a public Enemy; or elfe he takes himfejf
* to be fuch an unheard-of Sovereign, that againft
* him the People have no Claim of Right, or Pro-
* perty in themfelves, or in any Thing elfe ; for he
* hath now declared, That the People's Choice
* cannot give any Man a Right to fit in Parliament,
* but the Right mud be derived from his gracious
1 Wijl and Pleafure with that of his Counfcllors t
' and that his C^lerfe's Ticket, only, muft be the it
* Evidence for it.
* Thus hath he exalted himfelf to a Throne like
' unto God's, as if he were of himfelf, and hi?
* Power from himfdf, and we were all made fof
* him, to be commanded and difpofed pf by him, to
Vo|,.XXI, ^ ' '
Inter- regnum.
1656.
September.
34 The Parliamentary HISTORY
4 work for him, and only to ferve his Pleafure and
4 Ambition.
' Seeing therefore this total Subverfion of all Law
c and Right, and the Diftra£tions, Miferies, Blood,
' and Confufions that will be the moft certain Con-
* fequences of it ; and withall remembering the late
' Effufion of Blood upon no other Account than to
' fecure Religion, Liberty, and Property, and the
' Freedom, Power, and Privileges of Parliament, as
' the Bulwarks thereof; and that by thofe very
' Hands, who now overturn the very Foundation
' of all Liberty, Right, and Property, and of the
* Being of Parliaments ; and our very Souls trem-
* bling at the loud Cries of that Sea of Blood, and
' at the horrid Clamours of the many falfified Oaths
' and Promifes made upon the fame Account :
' For the acquitting of our own Souls, in the
* faithful Difcharge of our Duties to our Country,
' in fuch Manner as we are capable under this high
4 Oppreflion, we do hereby, moft folemnly, re-
* monftrate and protefl. unto all the good People of
< England,
' Ftr/t) That the violent Exclufion, by any Go-
* vernor, or pretended Governor, of any of the
* People's chofen Deputies, from doing their Du-
' ties, and executing their Truft freely in Parlia-
* ments, doth change the State of the People from
* Freedom unto a meer Slavery; and that whofo-
' ever hath advifed, affifted, or adhered unto the
' Lord Protector in fo doing, is a capital Enemy to
' the Commonwealth ; and our Anceftors have fo
* declared and adjudged the Advifers of fome of our
' Kings to Attempts not fo deftructive or dangerous
' as this of his. In the nth Year of Richard the
* Second, Chief Juftice Trcfilian and Juftice Blake
* were convicted of High Treafon by the Parlia-
* ment, and executed at Tyburn, chiefly for advi-
'fag the King that he might, when he plea fed ^ diflohe
' the Parliament, and command the Members to de-
' part under the Penalty of Treafon '. And we be-
' lieve
1 See and compare the i ith of Richard the Second with the 2 ift
of Richard the Second, Chap, xii, And the firft of Henry the Fourth,
Chap, iii, iv, Art!(f in the QrigitxiU
Qf ENGLAND. 35
* Jlcve every Man can difcern how much it Is more Inter-regnum.
e mifchievous for a King, or any other, to com- j6 5j*
* numl one, two, or three hundred of the Members *
* to depart, and call the reft a Parliament, to give
* Countenance to his Oppreffion.
* If our Kings might have commanded away, from
1 the Parliaments, ail fuch Perfons of Confcience,
* Wifdom, and Honour, as could not be corrupted,
' frighted, nor cozened by them to betray their
' Country, our Anceftors could not have left us
' cither Liberties or Eftates to defend.
' Secondly, We do further likewife proteft, That
* all fuch chofen Members for a Parliament, as (hall
' take upon them to approve of the forcible Exclu-
* fion of other chofen Members, onfhall lit, vote,
' and adl by the Name of the Parliament of England*
* while, to their Knowledge, many of the cbofen
* Members are fo by Force ihut out ; we fay fuch
* ought to be reputed Betrayers of the Liberties of
* England^ and Adherents to the capital Enemies of
c the Commonwealth.
4 Thirdly t We do hereby further proteft, That
* the prefent Aflembly at Wejlminjler is not the Re-
* prefentative Body of England ; and alfo that they
* fit upder the daily Awe and Terror of the Lord
' Protector's armed Men, not daring to confult or
* debate, freely, the great Concernments of their
4 Country, nor daring to oppofe his Ufurpation and
' Oppreflion : And that, therefore, untill there can
' be a free Parliament, we do proteft againft all
' fuch Votes, Orders, Ordinances, or Laws, as fhall
* be pretended to be made or enacted by the prefent
' Aflembly at Jfa/lminjhr, as being null and void in
' themfelves, and of no legal EfFect or Power.
* Neither can any of them, according to the Laws
* of God, or the Fundamental Conftitutions of our
' Country, be impofed upon any Man ; neither
' can Tax or Tallage be juftly, or lawfully, raifed
* by them.
' And to avoid all further vain Pretences of a Ne»
* cefHty, at prefent, to a<5t in extraordinary Way*
* fur prefejH Safety, we do further declare, That a
C 2 « Fret
36 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. < Free Parliament is the only Judge of fuch Dangers
_ 5— . ' and Neceffities of this Commonwealth, as may
September. ' warrant any extraordinary a&ing befide or againft
' the Laws : And if the Kingly Power, that was in
' England^ were lawfully fettled in the Lord Pro-
* teitor, yet had he no Colour of Right to judge of
* the Cafes of Neceflity that fhould make it lawful
' for him to tranfgrefs the known Laws; but, by
* the known Judgment of Parliaments, thofe that
' Ihould fo advife him were guilty of High Treafon.
* We do therefore appeal unto God, and all the
' good People of England^ for Affiftance and Pro-
' tection in their Service ; hereby declaring our
' Readinefs and earneft Defires to attend upon our
' Country's Service, and to expofe our Lives and
' Eftates to the uttermoft Hazards therein, to pre-
' vent the Ruin and Confufion that now threatens
' it, if it fhall pleafe God to enable them to redeem
' themfelves from the prefent Opprefiion ; that their
' chofen Deputies may meet and confult how to ad-
* vance the Glory of God, promote the true Reli-
' gion, and provide for the Safety, Liberty, Peace,
' and Happinefs of the Commonwealth And, in
' the Interim, we (hall endeavour to pour out our fad
' Complaints before the Lord againft our powerful
* OpprefTors ; humbly hoping that he will come
' forth fpeedily, to redeem his People out of the
' Hands of wicked and deceitful Men. m
Arthur Hajlerigge* Thomas Saunders9
Thomas Scotty Henry Darley^
John Bulkley, John Weaver*
John Birch, Alexander Popbam,
George Fenwick* John Goodwyn^
Anthony Irby^ Francis Thorpe^
Thomas Lifter* Anthony AJhley Cooper*
Thomas Birch* John Southbyy
Thomas Adams* Richard Grenvil/e,
Richard
i" Mr. WLltloclic has given us a Copy of this Remonftrance 5 and,
amongft the Subfcnbers to it, mentions Mr. Herb/rt Morfey and
Mr. John Fagg : But. by Letters in Tburloe's Colt'efiions, it appears'
that, tho' thofe two Gentlemen were denied Admittance into the
Houfe, they either disproved, or had not Courage to fign, this
e. r£burh', Vol. V. p. 490.
Of E N G
Richard Browne,
Richard Darley,
Thomas St. Nicholas^
William James,
John Boys,
Charles Hall,
John Jones,
William Woolley,
Richard Radcliffe,
William ^avile,
Theophilus Biddulph,
Henry Mildmay,
Harbottle Grimfton,
William IVelby,
Charles Hu/ey,
Edmund Harvey,
John Sicklemore,
'William D'Oiley,
Ralph Hare,
John Hobart,
Oliver Raymond,
?eremy Bentley,
hilip Woodhoufe,
John Buxton,
William Bloys,
William Gibbs^
Thomas Sothertont
Thomas Bowes,
Edward Harley,
Clement Throckmorton,
Daniel Wall,
Henry North,
Richard Lucy,
John Wittewrong,
George Courthorpe^
Samuel Got,
John Buckland,
Robert Long,
LAND. 37
John Northcott,
John Young,
John Dodderidge,
Henry Hungerfordy
Sfilijbury,
Edward Tooker,
William Morris9
John Hele,
Edward Turner^
Chaloner Chute,
Daniel Shatterden^
Thomas Styles,
Richard Beale,
John Sell'ard,
Walter Moyle,
Walter Vincent,
John Gell,
Henry Artbington%
Henry Tempe/l,
Jomes Clavering)
john Stanhope,
PeniJIon IPhaley,
Abel Barker,
Samuel Moore,
Thomas Minors^
John Bowyer,
Samuel Jonesy
John Ajfton,
Andrew Lloyd,
Edward Hooper^
Thomas Rivers,
Henry Peckham,
Charles Lloyd,
John Thurbarne,
"William Fijher,
John Gore,
Rowland Litton.
Inter* rcgnunit
1656.
September.
Animated by this gallant Remonftrance, and re-
fenting the infamous Behaviour of a pack'd Majo-
rity, fo many Members, alhamed of their Compa-
C 3 nions,
38 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
nions, left the Houfe, that, in order to fave Appesr-
1656. ances, it was refolv'd, on the 2gth of this Month,
*- — v— "-^ That all Perfons who had been return'd to ferve in
Oaober, thjg Parliament, and had been, or might be, ap-
proved by the Council, fhould give their Attend-
ance within feven Days. As to thofe who had been
excluded for Want of fuch Approbation, no farther
Notice was taken of them : But the reft proceeded
to appoint Committees on public Bufmefs, particu-
larly Scots and Ir'ijh Affairs : And, to give the Pro-
tector ftill greater A durances of their Attachment to
his Government, a Bill was brought in, and read
once, intitled, An A£l for the Security of his Higb-
nefs the Lord Protestor's Perfon, and Continuance of
the Nation in Peace and Safety. A Bill was alfo or-
dered to be brought in, For taking away the Court
of Wards and Liveries , and Tenures by Knight-
Service.
A Bill pafTed for Nothing occurs more in the Journals^ but regu-
fenouncing the lating of double Returns, &c. till the 26th of this
Stuart Family. Month, when the Bill for renouncing and difannul-
ling the •pretended Title of Charles Stuart, &c. was
read a third Time; and feveral Additions were pro-
pofed, which were, That the King's Titles fhould
not only be abrogated, but all the Titles that ever
belonged to his eldeft Son, or any of the Family ;
as Prince of Wales^ Duke of Cornivall, Prince of
Scotland^ Duke of Albany, Duke of Rothefay, Duke
of York, or Duke of Clcuce/hr. Afterwards the
Bill, with thefe and other Amendments made to it,
being put to the Queftion, puffed ; and, as the Jour-
nals have it, netnine contradicente. It was ordered^
at the fame Time, That the Lord Protector's Af-
fent be defired to this Bill. Laftly, a Committee
was appointed to confider of the Way of Addrcfs to
his Highnefs, with Bills, and report it to the Houfe.
Accordingly,
^ Q&ofar I. The faid Report was made ; on which
for the'pfotec- ^ was rdolved, i. ' That a Copy of every Bill that
tor's Coafent. ftiall pafs the Houfe, be made, and carefully examin-
ed
Of E N G L AND. 39
cd by the Clerk of the Parliament, with the Origi- Inter-regnunu
nal, and figned by him: That the Speaker, with the ' J
whole Houfe, fhail attend the Lord Protestor; and,
in their Name, prefent the Bills to his Highncfs for
hisConfent: That the Clerk (hall read the Titling
cf the Bills ; and, if the Lord Protestor requite it,
the Bills alfo : And then the Speaker (hall deliver
to his Highnefs the Copy.
2. ' That the Place of Meeting for the Lord Pro-
tcftor to pafs Bills, fnall be the Painted- Chamber.
3. ' That when the Lord Protedor (hall pafs a
Bill, the Form of Words to be ufed (hall be thefe,
The Lord Protefior doth confenty which; Words fhall
be entered " upon the Bill.
4. ' That the Lord Protector may require the
Judges and fuch Officers of State to attend him, at
the Time of prefenting and patting of Bills, as his
Highnefs (hall think fit.
5. ' That it be referred back to the fame Com-
mittee, to confider what Words are fit to be ufed
when a Bill is rirft parted by this Houfe ; and to be
indorfed by the Clerk thereupon : How Notice (hall
be given to the Houfe, when his Highnefs comes to
pafs Bills : What Words {hall be ufed when, in
cafe the Lord Prote&or doth not confent in twenty
Days, a Bill is to become a Law : And how Bills
may be pafled in cafe of the Lord Protestor's Sick-
nefs or Abfence.'
A War with Spain having been entered into byrhe Parliament
the Protestor and his Council, it was, at the fame3PProv*olthe
Time, thought proper to communicate this Affair Warwith5/W*g
to the Parliament; who, having heard the Report,
it was refolved, « That the War againft the Spa-
niard was undertaken upon juft and necefiary
Grounds, and for the Good of the People of this
Commonwealth : That the Houfe doth approve
thereof; and will, by God's Bleffing, affift his
Highnefs therein : And a Committee was appointed
to
» The Word Entered was infertcd inflcad of the Wcrd InJorftd
And this Note is Britten againft it in the Margin, " Aineiwlcd \»
Order, upon the Q^eftion, the zotli of Ntrvtmbtr, 1656.
46 *fhe Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter- reghum. to prepare a Declaration to fliew the Juftice of thl§
War, and the Neceffity of carrying on the fame.'
oaober. The very next Day Letters from the Admiral?
Blake and Montague, to the Protector > were com*
municated to the Houfe by Mr. Secretary Tburlod^
giving Intelligence of a confiderable Victory over
A great Viftory the Spanijh Weft- India Fleet, and of the taking of
obtained over feveral of their Ships, On which News a Day of
Thankfgiving was appointed by the Houfe, to blefs
God for his great Mercies on this Occafion ; and a
Declaration ordered to be drawn up as a Narrative
of this Succefs, to be prefixed to the Order for the
Thankfgiving. The Thanks of the Houfe were
alfo voted to Admiral Montague^ who that Day took
his Seat in Parliament j and the fame Compliment
was afterwards paid to Admiral Blake,
A Bill fat Secu-» Off. 9. Great Debates were this Day on the Bill
rity of the Pro- for the Security of the Protector's Perfon, and many
tefor's Perron, Additions and Amendments made to it ; after
which, being put to the Queftion, and pafied, it
was ordered, ' That his Highnefs's Confent be de-
fired thereto.' The Houfe was alfo at this Time
employed about feveral other Bills, of different Na-
tures, of which Notice will be taken in the Sequeh
Ofi. i t. This Day a Letter, or rather a Meflage,
from the Lord Protector, was delivered to the
Speaker; which, for its having all the Attributes of
Regal Style, more than for the Matter of it, we
give as follows :
To our Right Trufty and Right Well-beloved
Sir THOMAS WIDDRINGTON, Knight, Speaker
of the Parliament^
OLIVER P.
Right Trufty and Right Well-beloved, we greet
you well,
Creat Officers of fT being exprejfid in the thirty-fourth Article of
ttm appointed. / ^ Qovernment ^ That the Chancellor, Keeper,
or
• In our Twentieth Volufte, p. 260,
Of E N G L A N D. 41
Or Commitiioners of the Great Seal, the Trea-
furer, Admiral, Chief Governors of Ireland and
Scotland, and the Chief Juftices of both the
Benches, fhall be chofen by the Approbation of
Parliament ; and in the Intervals of Parliament, bjr
the Approbation of the major Part of the Coun-
cil, to be after approved by the Parliament ;' and
ive having, before the Meeting of the Parliament*
appointed, with the Approbation of the Council, our
Right Trujly and Right Well- beloved Nathaniel
Fiennes and John Lifle, Commijfiotttfi of the Great
Seal of England ; and our Right Trujly and Well-
beloved John Glynne, Chief 'Jujlice of the Upper
Bench, I have thought it necejjary to tranfmit to you.
the Names of thofe Perfons, to the end that the Refo-
lution of the Parliament may be known concerning
their Approbation ; which I dejire may be with fucb
Speed as the other public Occafions of the Common-
'tucalth will permit : And fo 1 bid you heartily fare-
Well.
Given at Whitehall^ the loth of Oclober^ 1656.
The Confequence of this Meflage was, that the
three Perfons recommended by his Highnefs, were
all approved by three leveral Relblutions of the
Houfe,
The Spanijb War continuing to be carried on
With Vigour, the Houfe went upon Ways and Means
to raife Money for that Purpofe; and, after con-
fidering how to retrench fome fupernumerary Ex-
pences, &c. they fell, as their Predeceflbrs had
done on like Occafions, to raife farther Contribu-
tions upon the Eftates of Papifts and Delinquents.
In order thereto they appointed Committees to in-
quire ftri&ly into any Frauds or Collufions ufed in
the Compofitions for thofe Eitates; as alfo into any
other Methods relating to the Excife or Cuftoms,
that they could find for raifing Money for this War.
The Remainder of this Month was chiefly em-
ployed in the above-mentioned Expedients, And,
Nov.
42 The Parliamentary PIi STORY
Inter-regnum. Nov. 7. A Report was made from the Protector
l656- and his Council, That an Account had been drawn
Vr~~vT~"11'' up of what would be neceflary for carrying on the
1 "' Spanijb War another Year, and how far the pre-
fent public Revenues would reach to the defraying
of that Charge. This Account was foon after re-
ferred to a Committee, to coniider how to anfwer
the Expence, and to prefent their Propofitions for
it to the Houfe as fpeedily as poilible.
Nov. 27. Several Bills being now ready for the
Lord Protector's AfTeut, a Committee was appoint-
ed to wait upon him, and defire to know the Time
when he would pleafe to have them prefented to him
The Lord Pro- for that pu,-pOfe. His Highnefs appointed Ten
C™L?tofcie.0'Cloc,k: that Morning in the Painted Chamber; but
ral Bills. before the Houfe went up thither, they thought
proper to read another Bill three Times, and pals it;
which was, That bis fHigbnefs's pajfing of Bills
Jboitld net be any Determination of this Sejffign of
Parliament. They alfo ordered, 4 That this Bill
be the firft that fliould be prefented to his Highnefs
for his Confent.' It was fo done; and accordingly
ftands firft in the Acts of this Seflion. P
So extraordinary a Caution jfhews very plainly,
that the Houfe, though thoroughly purged and
modelled, had fome Jealoufy that the Protedor
might intend to diflblve them : However, it hap-
pened otherwife ; for now the Serjeant at Arms
bringing Word that Serjeant Dendy was at the
Door with a Meffage from his Highnefs, he was
called in : The Ceremonial on this Occafion
was as follows :
The Ceremonial ' Having made two Obeifances to the Parliament
thereof. when he came into the Middle of the Houfe, with
his Mace in his Hand, he declared to the Speaker,
That he was commanded by the Lord Protector to
let this Parliament know, that his Highnefs was in
the Painted-Chamber^ and defired to fpeak with
that Honourable Houfe there j and withdrew.
* Then
P SeobelPs Ctlle&ions, p. 371.
O/
ENGLAND.
43
* Then the Speaker with the whole Houfe (the Inter-
Clerk with the Bills in his Hand, and the Serjeant l6S6-
with his Mace, going next ami immediately before ^""*""v~
him) went up to the Painted- Chamber ; where his
Highnefs, attended by the Lord Prefidcnt and the
reft of the Council, the Lords Commiiiioners of the
Great Seal and of the Treafury, the Lord Chief
Juftice of the Upper Bench, the Mailer of the Rolls,
the Lord Chief Juftice of the Common Pleas, and
the reft of the Judges, were expecting the Parlia-
ment.
4 The Serjeant carried his Mace upon his Shoul-
der up to the Table, where was a Chajr fet for the
Speaker, and a Form for the Clerk.
4 Then the Speaker, addrefling himfelf to his
Highnefs, gave an Account of the Employment of
the Houfe during their Sitting: That many Bills for
the Public Good were upon the Anvil, feme where-
of were compleated ; and of thefe he made a parti-
cular Relation. The ftrft of which was an Aft,
Ibat the puffing of Bills Jhall not determine this pre-
fent ScJJion of Parliament : This he fryled a Bill for
the Parliament's Prefervation. The next, which
•was an A£t For renouncing and difannulling the pre-
tended Title of Charles Stuart, &c. he called a Bill
for quieting the Pofleffion of the Government. The
third, For the Security of his Highnefs the Lord Pro-
tcftor's Perfon, and Continuance of the Nation in
Peace and Safety^ he faid was for a Security to
every Perfon in the Nation, all their feveral Intc-
refts being comprehended in that of his Highnefs.
The Fourth., an A£t For taking away the Ceuit of
Wards and Liveries^ he ftylcd an A£t of Manumit
fiun. The fifth was an Act For granting Liberty
to export federal Commodities of the Breed^ Growth^
and Manufacture of this Ccnitn^mueaith^ the good
Intentions whereof were felf- evident; and that there
•were alfo feveral more Bills of private Concernment
to particular Perfons.
* After this the Clerk read the Title of the firuV
Bill prefented to the Lord Piotcctor, which his
Highnefs ordered to be read through, and declared
to
Inter- regnum,
1656.
December.
ker.
44 tte Parliamentary HISTORY
to the Clerk his Confent to the fame, in thefe
Words, We do conjent ; and, thereupon, the Clerk
made this Entry thereof on the Bill, The Lord Pro-
teftor doth conjent ; and read the fame over again.
Then the Clerk read the Titles of the reft of the
public Bills firft, and next the private Bills, to each
of which the Lord Protector's Confent was de-
clared, entered, and publifhed, as before.
' The Serjeant at Arms attending his Highnefs,
and likewife the Serjeant attending the Parliament,
flood all this Time with their Maces on their
Shoulders ; and his Highnefs having made a fhort
Speech, the Speaker, with the reft of the Members,
departed, in the like Order as they came thither, to
the Parliament Houfe.' --- But no Entry is made of
this Speech in the Journals^ or any other Authority
we have yet met with.
December. The Parliament now proceeded upon
other Bills, both public and private; amongft which
was carried on, in a Committee of the whole Houfe,
a Bill for uniting the Kingdoms of England and
Scotland into one Commonwealth. An Affair which
had long taken up the Attention of this and prece-
ding Parliaments.
The Beginning of this Month James Naylor*
* by the Diaries of thefe Times, The Quakers
le^ was brought up from Briftol, and feveral of
his Female Followers along with him. On the 6th
he was brought to the Bar of the Houfe j where,
keeping on his Hat, the Serjeant, by Command of
the Speaker, took it off. Being afked, If his Name
was James Naylor ; anfwered, He was fo called :
and being alfo afked, How long he had been called
fo; anfwered, Ever fmce he could remember. The
Particulars of his Confeffion being read to him, and
afked if it was his, he acknowledged it all. The
next Day, on Debate, the Houfe voted him guilty
of horrid Blafphemy ; that he was a grand Impoftor,
and a great Seducer of the People.
But
O/ E N G L A N. D. 45
But after this the Parliament feem'd to be under Inter-regntun.
fome Dilemma what Puniihment to infliit upon l656-
him, for it was debated feveral Days, without co- <^*TVTTJ
ming to a Conclufion ; till, on the i6th of this
Month, the Queftion being put, That the Punifli-
ment of James Naylor, for his Crimes, (hall be by
Death, and that a Bill be brought in for that Pur-
pole, it pafled in the Negative, by 96 againft 82.
Then a Motion being made, That Part of his Pu-
nifhrrlent be to have his Hair cut off, it pafled in
the Negative, without Divifion. After which the
Houfe came to the following Refolution :
* That James Nay/or be fet on the Pillory, with
his Head in the Pillory, in the New-Palace\ Ifcy?-
minjler, during the Space of two Hours, on Tlntrf-
4uy next ; and (hall be whipp'd by the Hangman
through the Streets, from Wtflnditfter to the Old-
Exchange^ London ; and there likewife be fet upon
the Pillory, with his Head in the Pillory, for the
Space of two Hours, between the Hours of Eleven
and One, on Saturday next ; in each of the faid
Places wearing a Paper containing an Infcription of
his Crimes : And that at the Old Exchange his
Tongue (hall be bored through with a hot Iron; and
that he be there alfo ftigmatized in the Forehead
with the Letter B. That he be afterwards fent to
Brijfol) and conveyed into and through the faid Ci-~
ty, on a Horfe bare ridged, with his Face backward ;
and there alfo publickly whipped the next Market-
Day after he comes thither : That from thence he
be committed to Prifon in Bridewell^ London^ and
there reftrained from the Society of all People, and
kept to hard Labour, till he (hall be releafed by
Parliament ; and during that Time be debarred
from the Ufe of Pen, Ink, and Paper, and (hall
have no Relief, but what he earns by his daily La-
The
«1 Upon thU Occafion there was publifljed by Authority of the
Parliament, the following Paper, intitleo, A brief Actfunt of Jarne«
Naylor, the Quaker j and the uttering of many horrible LUafpbemiei,
tte Jtk:-, for at! Circumflancet, nevtr beard of in any Agt brfite, viitb
the Judgment pronaunctd upon him by Mr. Speaker, be being biougl-t
46 The Parliamentary HISTORY"
nCXt ^^ 7amcs Naylar being brought up to
receive his Sentence, a Motion was made, that he
might be afked, Whether he had any Thing to offer
why Judgment fhould not be pronounced upon him ?
it
t» tie Bar in toe Commons Hcxfe, for toale bigb Crimes wbercofkc bad
teen guilty, Dec. ij, 1656. At tbeTop of this Sheet is a Print engra-
ved by Hollar, reprefenting the Manner of Kaylar's Sentence being
put in Execution. Then follows tlie Account itfeif, in bat Verba.
'James Baylor, the Qu-kcr, having been releafed out of Exeter
Coal, he began immediately to play his P.anks at divers Places in
the Weft j among the reft, he paiTcd by ffelts and Glafienlury, thro*
•which Towns he rode on Horfeback, a Man going bare before him,
and others walking on Foot on each Side of his Stirrup, and others
Brewing their Garments in the Way ; from thence he took his Way
towards Brifto!, and coming to a little Village call'd Bcdrnnfier, about
a Mile fcom Brijiil, he rode through that Place likewife, a young
Wan lare-headeci leading his Hone by the Bridle, and another Man
before with his Hat on.
' There accompanied him two Men, with each a Woman behind
him on Horfeback 5 which Women alighted when they came to the
Suburbs vfBrifnl, and footed it along on each Side ofNaylor's Horfe,
the Man ftiii bare-headed leading the Horfe; and as they advanced
along they furg;, and entered Bnftol finging, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord
Csd oflfrae/j and then the Women led the Hone with the Reins in
their Hands, up to the High-Crofs of Brifal, and from thence to
tr.e WL:tt-Uart Inn in Broadftrfet.
' The Magistrates fending for Naylor and his Companions, they
came finging all the Way Ucj'ar.r.a, and Holy, Holy, Holy, &c. His
Name that went bare before'him was T:m!>tby Wedlock, a Devtnjbirt
Wan. The one Woman was named Martha Symonds, Wife oflhamcu
Symonds, Stationer of Landau j the other Hannah Strangcr, Wife of
John Stranger, of London, Comb-maker.
' The Magiftrates having convened NayJ&r and the reft, divers
flrange blafphemous Letters and Papers were found about there,
wherein it appeared, that this Deceiver had fo far gained upon his
Followers by his Impoftures, that they afcribed to him Divine Ho-
»ours, and gave him in Scripture Phrafe the fame Titles which ere
applicable to none but Cbrift himfeif.
* In a Letter of one Richard ¥ airman, from Dorchejier GoaJ, to
Way lor, we-e thefe horrid Expreflions, / am filed with Jcy and Rejoi-
cing laben I behold tbee in the ctsrnal Unity. O my boul it melting
•within ntt, ivhtn I behold thy Beauty and Itinocexcj, dear and precious
Sen of Z ion, -u/bofe Mother is a Virgin, and vfafe Birth is imacrta/.
* Another writes of him thus, Mil the ivife Menjhailfeek for him,
and -when they have found him, they Jhall open their Ears, and flail
give unto him of their Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
' The fame Woman, in another Letter to him, proceeds thus, 0
tbeu fat reft ofTen Ibfufand: 1'bcu inly begotten Son of God, bow my
Heart panieth after tbee, 0 flay me ivitb flagons, and comfort me
•ioitb Wine. My Well beloved, tbou art like a Roe, or young liartt
uptn the Mountains of Spices. Then, by way of Poftfcript, her Haf-
J;»nd, John Strs.r.gert adds this, Tby A'amt is «» mare tt in called
James but Jefus.
Of E N G L A N D. 47
it pafTcd in the Negative, by 107 againft 85 ; which inter- r^mim.
arbitrary Vote feems to jtiitify Mr. Wbitkctft Ob- >6s6.
fervation, ' That many thought he was loo fiercely ^***~*'~' "^
profeeuted by rigid Men.' Januar*'
Thus much tor this Enthufiaft.
The reft of this Month, and Part of the next,
was chiefly taken up in hearing of Petitions relating
to private Affairs, and going upon Ways and Means
to raife Money for the Spanijh War. But,
About the Middle of January , Secretary, Tbur- A Thankfgivini;
Joe alarmed the Houfe with a wicked Defi^ti to take
away the Lord Protector's Life, and fire /^**<?/>
and read the Examination of divers Perfons con-
cerned in the faid Plot, taken before the Council :
For the happy and timely Difcovery hereof the
Parliament ordered a Day of Thankfgiving to be
held, fir II by the Houfe, and afterwards by the three
Nations. A Declaration, by way of Narrative of
this dangerous Confpiracy r, was ordered to be
drawn
' Alfr> a Maid, named Dorcas Erbury, being examined, declared
J.imes Nay/or to be the Holy One of Ifrjcl, the only begotten Son ot"
tied j and that (he pulled off his Stockings, and put her Cloaths un-
der his Feet, becaule he was the floly Lord of Ifrael, and that flic
knew no other Saviour but him ; affirming moreover, That the Spirit
of the Lord within her commanded her to call him Lord and Mailer,
and to ferve him : That, in Exeter Goal, he had railed her frr.m the
Dead after (he had been dead two Days : And that Janes Naybr
Aall fit at the Right Hand of the Father, and judge the World. "
' Thus you fee how this wretched Importer hath prevailed upon his
Followers, to bewitch them to the committing of flrange Abfurdi-
tjes. An Account whereof I had hitheito fbrborn, but have now
given it in brief", that the Honour and Juftice of the Parliaments Sen-
tenet; paftrd uppn him, may be evident to the People.*
«• It was called Synder comic's Plot, which is taken Notice of
by moft of our Hiftorians. TlysMan was found dead in his Bed the
Morning before his intended Execution. Whether he poifoned hira-
fclf, as was given out by public Authority at this Time ; or wa«
fmothereil, by private Orders from Cromwell, for lear he ftiould make
fome Difcovecies at the Callows to the Prejudice of the Protestor,
(as charged upon him by Col. Titus, in his Killing no Murder) re-
mains yet a Queftion. We fliall therefore content ourfclvcs xvith
remarking, That, in the 5th and 6th Volumes of Tburloc'a Su:t
Papers, there are Letters from Lockbatt, Ooww^/'s Amballador in
Franc*, to 'Tburlot^ and from him to lltr.ry CromzocK, in Ireland^
with ft-. rial Examinations and other Papers teh ing to this Defiga
againft the Protector's Life ; which fcems to have beta, in &me
xncafurc, encouraged by the Court *f Spain.
48 *£be Parliamentary HISTORY
fcte»-regnum. drawn up and publifh'd ; wherein the Minifters were
enjoined, on all Occasions for the future, to pray
for the Lord ProtccJor^ and all that are in Authority
in this Commonzuealtb. The Parliament alfo voted
their Thanks to Secretary Thurloe^ for his great Di-
ligence in tracing out this Plot ; and relolved to
congratulate the Lord Protector upon his happy
Efcape. This was done by the whole Houfe, with
the Speaker at their Head ; who, in his Harangue
upon the Occafion, fet forth the terrible Confe-
quences which might have enfued, had it not pleafed
Almighty God to defeat this Confpiracy j as,
I/?, The Danger and Ruin of the Reformed
Churches abroad, and three Nations at home, who
were all ftruck at by this intended Blow. idly-> The
cunning Secrecy of it, no more than two knowing
the whole Defign. 3%, The Extenfivenefs of it,
for, if they failed in one Place, they rejolved to do
it in another. He concluded with faying, That, if
Cicero were living, he would want Expreflion to fet
out the Danger, or the Mercy; fo unparallel'd, fo
unprecedented a Mercy, that the Parliament's Hymn
was, O cantemus Canticum novum^ Q come let us
fmg a new Song unto the Lord |
The Difcovery of this Confpiracy furnifhed the
Protector and his Council with a frefh Pretence for
opprefiing theRoyalifts; for, in confequence there-
of, we find a Bill was ordered to be brought in For
continuing and ajjeffing a Tax for the Payment of the
Militia Forces in England and Wales, raijed for
the Security and Prefervatisn of the Commonwealth j
the Debate upon which was opened to the Houfe?
by Secretary Tburloe^ hi a Speech to this JEftecl : *
Mr. Speaker,
Secretary T*»r- s fTl H E Scope of this Bill is to fet an extraor-
ids Speech for J^ dinary Tax upon the old Delinquent Party,
(SSny'nknF-w^ a Retrofpe& by way of Approbation of what
on thefcoyatffts, hath
9 From the 5th Volume of Tburhe's State Papers; in which
there being fome Hiatus', we have endeavouitid to fupply therrij and
to cjear up a few Pafisges w&ch feem to have cf«J>?4 th? Car? pf
tie TrajjjTciiber.
Of E N G L A N D. 49
hfitn been done of this Kind by his Highnefs and Inter-r^n
the Council ; fo that we are to confider, l6s
1. « What Reafons his Highnefs and Council had t~T^
to lay the Charge.
2. ' Upon what Grounds it (hall be continued
by Acl of Parliament.
1 What moves me to fpeak in it is, the Place I
have the Honour to bear.
' The Occafion was, the laft Infurrec~lion made
by the old Delinquent Party. Who thefe old De-
linquents are, I fuppofe Nobody needs any Infor-
mation ; they are defcribed in the Bill, to be thofc
who were in Arms for the late King againu the Par-
liament, or for Charles Stuart the Son ; or have
adhered to, aflifted, or abetted the Forces raifed
againft the Parliament ; or whofe Eftates have beert
fequeftered for Delinquency.
4 You know, Sir, much better than I, and fo do
molt Men here, what the Defign was before the
Long Parliament. It was to alter our Religion, and
to fubvert the Fundamental Laws.
« The Biftiops, fo they might cnflave our Con-
fciences, and have us at their Will to impofe their
Ceremonies, which were but Inlets to Popery,
were content we mould be at the King's Will for
our Perfons and Eftates. I remember myfelf, and
many here remember much better, how many
were baniftied into foreign Parts, that they might
ferve God without Fear, which they could not do
here. Many good Minifters were imprifoned, others
filenced : If two or three Chriftians met together to
pray, this was a Conventicle, and they were haled
before the then Powers.
* I fear thefe Things are forgotten, and we value
not the Liberty we have in thefe Cafes. I know
what Thoughts we had then j that that was the
Defign.
* And fo in the State, the Prerogative was tery
high, but the People's Liberty was very low. We
have not forgot the German Horfe that were to be
brought over, and the Army in Ireland that was
to be raifed to enflave them firft, and then to do the
VOL. XXI. D fame
5 o *Fhe "Parliamentary HISTORY
fnter-repnum. fame here. What was doing in Scotland many Gerc-
l656- tlemen here, I doubt not, that rejoice to fee this
V"T~V J Day, can tell you large Stories of.
' Parliaments were fet afide : How many had ye
between 3° and 16° Car. in thirteen Years toge-
ther ? Not one ; no, they had got a Way to govern
without Parliaments ; and the Laws in Weftminftfr-
Hall began to be of little Ufe. The Judges, that
were honeft and true to the People's Liberties, were
either removed or difcountenanced, that ad Placl-
tum Regis fmt Sententits Legis : Other Courts flou-
rifhed ; the Marches otlVales, the Prefidentftiip of
Tork^ the Star-Chamber, the Council-Board, the
High-Commiflion, and, I am loth to name, the
Chancery ; but good Ufe was made of that too,
for their Purpofes that were arbitrary ; and the De-
fign was to rack all Things fo, that a Man could
not be met with there that would hear Reafon".
' The Truth was, the Defign was to govern us
fcy a Power that might be turned againft us ; and
it was faid, quod placuit Principi Legis Vim habet.
( Things were almoft become defperate ; and all
Men who loved their Country thought, all, either
of fuffering, or of flying. This, I fay, was the
firft Defign. To do an arbitrary A6t, out of Ne-
ceflity to fave the whole, that's another Thing ; but
this was Matter of Choice.
' In this Conjun£ture of Affairs the Long Parlia-
ment comes j queftions the King's Counfellors ;
undertakes the Caufe of the Nation, and advifes the
King : Inftead of liflening to them, he takes the
Advantage of railing an Army in Profecution of his
former Defign, and to defend thofe who were the
Inftruments thereof. A great Part of the Nation,
whom he and his Counfellors had debauched, and
who were feafoncd with the fame Principles, in Ha-
tred to the Spirit of Reformation and Liberty, which
appeared in the Parliament, adhered to him ; took up
Arms with him, and in his Caufe ; and I believe
Nobody here hath forgot how much Blood and
Treafure this Courfe hath coft this Nation in a Ten-
years War i for near fo long hath this Party of
Men
Of ENGLAND. 51
Men held up their Caufe aforefaid, againft the good
People of this Land, by an open War; and what
Havock hath been made of the Lives and Eftates of
i r» • i i • <•¥->• January.
many a good Patriot during this Time, is yet to be
lamented ; and the Lofs of your Relations, the
Emptincfs of your Purfes exhaufled in this War,
the ftgnal Deliverances which God hath given you,
w.ll not fuffer you to forget what our Condition had
been, if we had been given up into the Hands of
thefe Men.
* Thefe are the Men, Sir, this is the old Delin-
quent, that we have to do with in this Bill.
' In the Management of this War, we have had
many Divifions and Subdivifions amongft ourfelves :
4 In the Church, Prefbyterians, Independents,
Anabaptills ; in the State, bad Commonwealth's-
mcn ; fuch as mercenary Soldiers, Lawyers, Fifth
Monarchy-men ; every one labouring for their own
Interefts ; but none of all thefe are now in Queftion.
Lut 'tis the old Enemy; Men that would bring irf
the Hierarchy again, and with it Popery ; Perfecution
for Confcience Sake ; bring in 'I^yranny over our
Perfons and Eftates ; who endeavoured to have made
the Land defolate, rather than not have brought this
to pafs ; brought in all Manner of Profanenefs and
Debauchery: I wifti we do not forget what Manner
of Men they were. We did all once agree againft
them, and I hope we {hall do fo again, fo long as
they retain their old Principles.
* I fay, the worft in this Bill is, to make thefe
Men pay an extraordinary Tax for the Support of
the public Charge.
4 Aye, but 'tis faid they have compounded ; many
of them have, for their Delinquency; and they have
had an A61 of Oblivion; and are now, in Juftice, to
be looked upon as the reft of the Nation f
4 That fure is not hard to anfwer. Their Com-
pofition was but for what they had done : Sure it
was not for all they mould do. The Pardon was
but of Offences part ; it was not like the Pope's
Pardons, that are of all Sins committed, and to be
committed •> fo that if they be guilty of new Offen-
D 2 CCo,
52 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Tnter-regnum. ces, it is juft to fubject them to new Penalties ; and
1656. they to be dealt with, as if they had made no Com-
*~T~*~ ~~* portion, nor had any fuch Pardon granted them.
But then the greater Queftion is, What thefe Men
have done, which may juftly cancel their former
Grants ; and how this comes to be a common Cafe;
if forne of them have offended, muft all fufferf
' In Anfwer to this, I would premife two Things:
1. ' The Queftion is not about Confifcation of
Life and Eftate, which the former War fubjected-
them to; and which, without their Compofition or
Pardon, might have been inflicted ; that Offence was
capital ; but it is only, whether they (hall pay fome-
what more to the public Charge, than thofe that
have been of the other Party ?
2. ' Exception is propounded to thofe, who
cither have or (hall give Evidence of their having
forfaken their former Intereft.
4 The Onus probandi is put orr their Side, and ma-
ny have had the Fruit of this : His Highnefs and the
Council, having had good Satisfaction concerning
jnany of them, have difcharged their Decimation ;
and I fuppofe this Bill is not, or ought to be, to reach
to thefe ; fo that the Queftion will not be of every
individual Man, but of fuch only as have not nor
can give any Teftimony of their having changed
their Interefts and Principles; on the contrary, have
given a juft Ground of Sufpicion that they do retain
them.
* For thofe who have actually had a Hand in-
defigning, contriving, acting, or abetting in the
late Infurrection, and can be convicted thereof by
Teftimony, that is under another Confideration,
and will not be pertinent to be fpoke of under this
Head.
4 Then to anfvver that Queftion, What have they
tlone ? It's true, there was an Infurrection, and
of fome of the Party, Wagftaffe^ Wtlmott, &c. but
are all therefore to be punimed ? What hath the
•whole Party done ? This I would fay, in general,
that the old Delinquent Party have not only the
fame Intention^ that they had, when they were in
open
O/* ENGLAND. 53
open Arms, and notorioufly manifefted it to the inter-regnum,
Confciences of all Men who will confider it, but lfirfi
they do retain their old Principles, and ftill adhere
to their former Intereft (what that is I have fpoke
before); and have been all along hatching newDi-
Iturbances, to trouble the Peace of the State : And
although the Teftimonies do not extend to fuch a
Proof 'as is necetfary to a legal Conviction, ^et fo
much is known of the Actions and Converfation of
the whole Party, as may fatisfy any indifferent Man,
(efpecially a State, who ought rather to be too
jealous than too fecure) that they were generally in-
volved in the late Defign ; and ought, in Reafon,
to have the Charge laid upon them.
' To evince that, take a View of this Party ever
fmce the Battle of Worcefter. There you knov/
their Hopes were broken ; and the Lives and Eftates
of that whole Party, in the Three Nations, fubjectetl
to your Power. What, Doth the Parliament apply
themfelves to heal and cement, and to take away
the Seeds of Divifion ? Hence it is, that not only
JufHce is done them all, but an Act of Grace is
granted to them, and that by the Government.
What do they meditate ? The Overthrow of thofe,
\vhofe Favour they were, by the Providence of God,
compelled to feek ; for, from that very Day, untHl
the late Infurrection broke forth, they have been m
Agitation of ill Defigns.4
Notwithftanding the Arguments alledged, by the which
Secretary of State, in favour of this Bill "for levying is rejected by the
a Tax upon the Royalifts; yet there being a ftrongjj^. f own
Sufpicion m the Houfe, that the real Tendency Relations,
thereof was to fupport and increafe the Authority of
the Major-Generals, it met with great Oppofition.
Thefe Officers had Bafhaw'd it to fo high a Degree,
as to give Offence to the whole Nation : Cromwell^
fenfible of this, and having already ferved his ovrn
Ends by them, the principal of which was to influ-
ence the Elections for this Parliament ; and begin-
ning to be jealous of their growing Power, deter-
mined to gratify the Defircs of the People by laying
D 3 them
54 ¥he Parliamentary HISTORY
|ijter-r?pnim. them afide ; and accordingly, foon after, the Of-
?656- free and JurifdicYion of thefe Major-Generals were
^rrT**~~^ wholly abolifhed. — This accounts for the Oppoft-
tion made to the Bill by Cromwell's own Family.
We find that his Son in-Law, Cleypole, in the De-
bate thereupon, told the Houfe, * That he, being
young in Bufmefs, could only {tart the Game; and
muft leave thofe, who had more Experience, to fol-
low the Chace : That therefore he fhould only fay,
That he had, formerly, thought it neceflary, in re-
fpe6t to the Condition in which the Nation had
been, that the Major-Generals fhould be intruded
with the Authority which they had exercifed ; but,
in the prefent State of Affairs, he conceived it in-
•confiftent with the Laws of England, and Liberties
of the People, to continue their Power any longer/
Eotchr^ one of the Major-Generals, having fpoke
in favour of himfelf and his Brethren, Col. Henry
Cromwell, the Protector's Nephew, took him up
very fmartly^ faying, * He obfervcd that many Gen-
tlemen, and particularly the laft, feem'd to think it
juft that, becaufe fome of the Cavaliers had done
amifs, therefore all ftiould be punifhed. By the
fame Argument, fays the Colonel, becaufe fome of
the Major-Geiierals have acted unjuflly and againft
Law, which I will undertake to prove, all of them
deferve to be puniflied.' — Hereupon Major General
Kelfey call'd To Order ; and defiled that thofe who
had done wrong mi^ht be named. Col. Cromwell^
•with great Spirit and Refolution, feconded the Mo-
tion ; and begg'd Leave of the Houfs, that he
rnight nam? the Offenders ; and was fupported,
herein, by Mr. James Ajhe. But this was over-
ruled, as the Journals inform us, left it fhould in-
terrupt the main Bufmefs of the Houfe : However,
cm the 28th of this Month, the Debate was re-
iumcd ; and there appearing a general Refentment
a^ainft the Bill, the Major- Generals Party would
have dropp'd the Debate for the prefent j but this
was over- ruled, by a Majority of 128 againft 50.
And, the next Day, a Motion for the fecond Read-
jng pf the Bill having pafled in the Negative, by
Of E N G L A N D. 55
121 againil 78, it was refolvecl, by 124 againft 88, inter-wgnura
that the fame be rejected. 1656
The Writer of the Letters ' from whence we ^^J^"
have extracted our Account of the foregoing De-
bate, and who was himfelf a Member of this Par-
liament, informs us, * That the rejecting of this
Bill, which feems to have been effected principally
by the Opposition made to it by fome of the Pro-
tector's own Family, gave great Difgufl to the Ma-
jor-Generals, and the Behaviour of Col. Cromwell
more particularly fo.' ' Harry Crvrmvell^ fays
he, bcin« threatened, by the Major-Generals Par-
ty, that the Protector would and did take ill what
he had fpoke in the Houfe, went direclly to his
Highnefs, and ftood to what he had faid manfully
and wifely : And, to make it appear that he fpoke
not without Book, had his black Book and Papers
ready to make good what he had aflerted. His
Highnefs anfwered him in Raillery, took a rich,
Scarlet Cloak from his Back, and Gloves from his
Hands, and gave them to Harry, who Strutted with
his new Cloak and Gloves in the Houfe, the next
Day; to the great Satisfaction and Delight of fome,
and Trouble of others.'
This public Affront thus put upon the Major-
Generals, contributed, perhaps, not a little to their
Oppofition, foon after, to the Propofal for making
cf Cromwell King; and probably was an equal in-
ducement to fome of the Cavalier Party in the
Houfe, to vote for his Advancement to the Crown,
But not to anticipate Matters too much, we (hall
return to the Journals.
February. This Month began with Debates upon
Ways and Means \o raife Money for the Spani/b A Grant of
War; which were carried on, de Die in Diem% '^^^L
a Grand Committee of the whole Houfe, till the WaVwhh
yth, when the Report being made, it was refolved, •
• That, towards raifing 400,000 /. voted by the
Houfe, there be an Afleflment, for three Months,
9 through-
t Mr. Vincent Gsokin, one of the Members for Inland,
2A«r/«, Vol. VI. p. 20 j 37,8.
56 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. throughout England, to commence the 25th of
1656, March next, after the Rate of 60,000 /. per Men-
*-— v— — ' Jem: That 15,000 /. be raifed, by Afleflment, in
Fe ruary. Scotland, and 2O,OOO /. in Ireland, to be paid in be-
fore the 24th of June next.' Then it was farther
refolved, *That it be referred to the Grand Com-
inittee appointed to prepare a Bill in purfuance of
the foregoing Votes, to confider of a Claufe in the
Preamble, or other Part thereof, for aflerting the
Rights of the People, That no Monies ought to be
levied without common Confent in Parliament.'
The laft Refolution feems to have been diftafte-
ful to the Protector and his Council ; for we find
that, on the loth of this Month, the faid Refolu-
tion being read again in the Houfe, and the Que-
ftion put, That Leave be given to the Members to
fpeak again concerning this Vote, the Houfe divided,
when it was carried in the Affirmative, by 82 againft
53. The Serjeant at Arms was then fent to fum-
mon all the Members in IVeJlminfter-Hall, to at-
tend the Service of the Houfe; and, after Debate,
the Queftion being again put, That the Grand
Committee appointed to prepare the Bill for the
Afleflment of 6o,ooo/. for three Months, and other
Sums, towards the raifing of 400,000 /. for carry-
ing on the Spanijh War, do prepare and bring in
the fame without inferting the Claufe directed by
the Vote of the yth Inftant in that Bill, it patted in
the Affirmative, by 132 againft 46. But, at the
fame Time, it was agreed that that Claufe be put in
a Bill for the Settlement of the ordinary Revenue :
So that the Matter was not made much more plea-
fing to the Protector and his Council by this Alte-
ration.
Mr. WlitlocJte Mr. Whithcke having acled as Speaker, for fome
receives the Time, during the Indifpofition of Sir Thomas Wtd-
Thanksof the Jrington, on the i8th of this Month the Houfe
' voted him their Thanks for his great Services in that
Station, aod alfo in the Capacity of Ambafiador to
Sweden : They likewife ordered the Commiifioners
of
Of E N G L A-N D. 57
of the Treafury to pay him 500 /. due on account
of that Embafly, and 2OOO/. more as a Gratuity for
his faithful Conduit therein.
February.
Hitherto there is nothing elfe particular in the Af-Thc parijarnent
fairs of this Month ; but that, on the I9th, the dine with the
Speaker acquainted the Houfe, That the Lord Pro-Lofd Pr°tcft°*
te&or had invited all the Members to dine with him,at Wbltt af'
at the Banq uetti ng- Houfe in Whitehall^ the next
Day, being the public Thankfgiving for the happy
Deliverance of his Highnefs's Perfon from the late
dangerous and bloody Defign of Aflaflination, by
the Difcovery of Synder combe's Plot. The Parlia-
ment accepted the Invitation; when, as our Autho-
rity exprefles it ", ' The Lord Protector gave them
a moft Princely Entertainment, attended with rare
Mufic, both of Inftruments and Voices.' This
Compliment was fo well relifhed by the Houfe,
that they were determined not to be behind-hand
with his Highnefs in point of Complaifance. Ac-
cordingly,
Feb. 23. Alderman Pact, one of the Reprefen- Alderman P«rf
tativrs of the City of London^ after taking Notice topiopofestomalw
the Houfe of the unfettled State of the Nation
this Time, and the Difcompofure of Men's Minds,
with the ill Afpeft thefe had upon foreign Princes,
Trade and Commerce, moved that the Lord Pro-
tedtor might be defired to aiTume the Title of King,
as the belt known and moft agreeable Kind of Go-
vernment to the Englijh People : He then prefented
to the Speaker a Paper, declaring it to be fomewhat
come to his Hand, tending to the Settlement of the
Nation, and of Liberty and Property, which he defi-
red might be received and read x. This Motion oc-
cafioned
u The Public Initlligencrr, N°. 7 1 , in which may be found a par-
ticular Narrative of Syndcrcombe's Plot.
* Thh Alderman Pack was Lord Mayor of the City of London, ia
16155, and was then knighted by Cromwell, He is charged, by Hif-
tori.ms, with embezzlijrig the Charity-Money coileclcd for the Relief
of the poor Proteftants \nPiedntent\ and alfo with being fevcral Thou-
fand Pound* in Arrear to the Excife, in which Office he was a Commif-
fioacr. It is added, That ail thefe Sins were forgiven him by Oom-
58 The Parliamentary HISTORY
fioned a great Debate ; but, at length, it was re-
. _ folved in the Affirmative, by a Majority of 144
March. Voices againft 54, and the Paper was read accord-
ingly, intituled, The humble Addrefs and Remon-
ftrance of the Knights, Citizens, and Rurgeffes now
ajjenihled in the Parliament of this Commonwealth. ?
The next Day the Debate was refumed ; when it
was icfolved, on a Divifion of 100 againft 44, that
the faid Remonftrance be read in Parts, beginning at
the firft Article after the Preamble. It was alfo or-
Which is agreed dered, ' That all the Members fhould conftantly at-
to.by thcHoufe.tend the Service of the Houfe, and not depart with-
out Leave : And the 25th of this Month was ap-
pointed to be fet apart to feek the Lord for his Di-
rection in this important Bufmefs.'
March. The Addrefs and Remonftrance above-
mentioned, engaged the Attention of the Parliament
almoft every Day this Month. Many Additions
and. Alterations were made in it, but none of them
fignificant enough to mention here, except that, on
the 26th, they refolved to give it a new arid more
moderate Name, by ftyling it only The humble Pe-
tition and Advice, &c.
The next Day it was ordered that the Speaker,
attended by all the Members, mould prefent it to
the Lord Protestor ; and, at the fame Time, fhew
the Grounds and Reaforis inducing them to oft'er it.
Then a Committee was appointed to acquaint him,
* That
•icifll, in ConfiJeration of his undertaking to make this bold Propo-
fal to the Houfe. HeatISs Chronicle, p. 386.
Narrative of this Parliament, before cited, p. 17,
Mr. Ludhtu writes, ' That a Piopofal of this Nature had been
made before by Col. 'Jefbfon, but was laid afide upon the firft Men-
' tion of it ; and that Cromwell, to reward his good Intentions, fent
him Ambaffador to Sweden. There is no Notice taken in the
Journals of any Motion of this Kind but Alderman Pack's. How-
ever, Jepbfcn did vote for Cramiveirs being King, as appears by the
foregoing Lift of the Parliament, p. 23, and was actually fent to
Sweden in the Capacity Mr. Ludloia mentions.
y Mr. Wbithcke informs us, That this Addrefs was intended to
have been offered to the Houfe by himfclf ; and that he declined it,
as not liking feveral Things contained therein 5 but Sir Cbrijhpher
faiky to gain Honour, prefentcd it firft to the Houfe.
Memorials, p. 647.
Of E N G L A N D. 59
' That the Houfe having Occafion to wait upon him, inter-regnunu
on fome important Affairs, they defired he would 1657.
name a Time and Place for that Purpofe. The 31 ft v. — v— *•*
of this Month being appointed accordingly, at the March.
Banquet ting- Houfe y Whitehall, the Speaker and the
whole Houfe went up thither with their Petition ;
where the Lord Protector, attended by the Prefi-
dent of the Council, and other Officers of Stare,
were aflembled. After a learned Speech made to
his Highnefs by Mr. Speaker, he prefented, in the
Name of the Parliament, the faid humble Petition
and Advice: Which was read by Henry Scohell, Efq-,
the Clerk : And that being done, his Highnefs gave
Anfwer thereto to this Effect * * * *.
Thus far the Journals : But they leave us at a
Lofs as to the Refult of this Meeting. The Hiatus,
however, is, in fome Mcafure, fupplicd by one of J"rJje^.57^Jhe
the Diaries of thefe Times z, which informs us. Lord Protetfor
' That the Speaker took this Occafion to commend the Parliament^
the Title and Office of a King, in this Nation, for JjJjJ^^J"
Several Reafons ; as that a King firft fettled Chrifti- famc the Title
anity in this Iflund : That the Title had been longof King,
received and approved by our Anceftors, who, by
Experience, found it to be confident with their Li-
berties : That it was a Title beft known to our
Laws, moft agreeable to our Conftitution, and to
the Temper of the Englijb People : And that thefe
Things he made evident, at large, by divers grave
and weighty Arguments.
4 Afterwards he proceeded to open the Senfeof the
Parliament upon the fevcral other Particulars con-
tained in that Writing, which they came to prcfent
to his Highnefs, in order to the Settlement of the
Three Nations.'
' In Return to this the Lord Protector, after an Crctmoell <kftres
engroffed Copy of the Petition had been prefented to Tirne to feclt
him, was pleafed to deliver himfelf in a Speech, ex- pod forCoun-
/r i /- n- /"« • A r *c' thoeupon.
prefling very much of Piety, Gravity, and good Af-
fection to the Parliament and People of thefe Na-
tions.
• He obferved that the Welfare, Peace, an,l Settle-
ment
» Mercurius Pititicut, N°. 355.
60 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Into-regnum. ment of Three Nations, and all the richTreafure of
^ J^jL' w the beft People of the World being involved therein,
March. ^ ought -to beget in him the greateft Reverence and
Fear of God, that ever poireflcd any Man upon
Earth; with feveral other Expreflions intimating his
Fear and Reverence before the Almighty, upon this
fo great and folemn an Occafion.
' That among all the Burdens which God had
laid upon him, he, to his Comfort, had found the
good Hand of God aflifting him, when he knew not
which Way to ftand under their Weight, but by
looking up to his good Pleafure contained therein.
' That, before he came to any Refolution, his
Intent was, firft, to feek God, who had been his
Guide hitherto, to have an Anfwer put into his
Heart.
' That if he fhould enter upon fuch a Work as
this without due Confideration, to pleafe Humours
that are of this World ; without feeking fuch an An-
fwer from God as might prove a Ble fling to the
Perfon ufed, and make up the noble, worthy, and
honeft Intentions of thofe that had prepared and ef-
fected the Work, it would feem to proceed from
Luft and Arguments of Self; and that, mould his
Motives be fuch, the Iflue might prove fad to them
and the Three Nations, who, he believed, intended
well in this Bufinefs ; and had none but honeft and
fincere Ends therein, as the Glory of God, the Good
of the People, and the Rights of thefe Nations.
« That therefore, fmce they had made fuch a Pro-
grefs in the Work, he defired fome fhort Time to
afk Counfel of God and his own Heart: Arid he
hoped that neither the Humours of any weak or un-
wiie People, nor the Defires of any who might have
a Lufting after Things that were not good, mould
fleer him to any other Anfwer but what might be
ingenuous, and for the Good of thole that he and
they ferved, and were made to ferve. And con-
cluded, That as the Thing well deferved the utmoft
Deliberation, fo he mould think himfelf bound to
give as fpeedy an ArUwer as he could.'
Thefe
Of E N G L A N D. 61
« Thefe, fays our Journalift, are only fome {hort Intcr-regnunr»
Heads of what was much more copioufly and ele-
gantly fpoken, by his Highnefs, to the Parliament, U"^v,^
with that Majefty and Authority, which appeared
moft eminent in all his public Actions ; in the Re-
petition whereof he had only to crave Pardon, left
he had been injurious to the Dignity of fo wife and
fo ferene a Perlbn.'
Obferving only, from the Style of the foregoing
Extracts, That Tyrants never want Flatterers, we
return to the Journals of the Houfe, which inform
us, That
The Protector fent a Letter to the
Speaker, defiring the Houfe to appoint a Committee
to attend him that Day at Whitehall; which being
done accordingly, on the next the Lord-Commif-
fioner JVbitlocke reported from them, That they
had waited on his Highnefs, according to the Order
of the Houfe, and that he expreffed himfelf to the
Committee to this Effect * * * *.
Here is another Hiatus in the Journals; the more
to be regretted, fmce we have it not in our Power to
fupply the Deficiency from any of the Contemporary
Authorities : And we can only fuppofe, that the Pro-
tector gave the Committee fome Reafons agaimt
their Offer of making him King ; and defired them
to carry their Petition and Advice back to the Houfe
for Amendment ; becaufe the next Day they fell into
Debate on this Matter ; and a Queftion being pro-
pofed, That this Houfe doth adhere td their humble
•Petition and Advice, prefented to his Highnefs the
Lord Protector, it was refolved in the Affirmative,
by a Majority of 78 againft 65 : But at the fame
Time it was ordered, ' That the prefent Debate
fhould be adjourned to their next Meeting, to be
entered on the firft Bufmefs, and nothing elfe to
intervene.' Accordingly,
On the yth, the Debate was renewed in the
Houfe i when we find that they ftill adhered to their
laft
6 2 ¥he Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. laft Vote, and appointed another, and a more riu-
*657« merous, Committee to attend the Lord Protector
^""""""^T — ' with the following Refolution : c That the Parlia-
ment having lately prefented their humble Petition
The Houfe ap- an^ Advice to his Highnefs, whereunto they had not
point a Commit- as yet icceived Satisfaction ; and the Matters con-
tee to wait on tained in that Petition and Advice being agreed up-
fwer- n"on by the Great Council and Reprefentative of the
Three Nations ; and which, in their Judgments,
were moft conducing to the Good of the People
thereof, both in their Spiritual and Civil Concern-
ments ; they therefore thought fit to adhere thereto,
and to put his Highnefs in Mind of the great Obli-
gation which refted upon him, in refpect of that
Advice ; and again to defire him to give his Aflent
thereunto.'
The next Day the Parliament, in a Body, attend-
ed the Lord Protector in the Eanquetting- Houfe at
Whitehall, when the Speaker prefented to him the
foregoing Refolution. His Anfwer on that Occa-
But he de.lres flon js not enterec} jn t|)e Journals; but the laft
further Time, . A . . . r TM t • rr-
and raifes many Clted Authority a informs us, I hat his Highnefs was
. pleafed to make a Return by a Speech, with his
wonted Piety, Wifdom, and Moderation, to the
following Effect :
4 That no Man could put a greater Value than
he did, and always fhould do, upon theDefires and
Advice of the Parliament; readily acknowledging,
that it was the Advice of the Parliament of thefe
Three Nations.
* That he looked upon the Things advifed to, in
the general Notion of them, as tending to the Set-
tlement of the chiefeft Things that could fall into
the Hearts of Men to defire or endeavour after; and
this at fuch a Time, when the Nation was big with
Expectation of any Thing that might add to their
better Being; and therefore that he muft needs put
a very high Efteem upon, and have a very reverend
Opinion of, any Thing that came from them j and
that
» Mercuriui PeHiicus, N°. 356,
Of E N G L A N D. 63
that fo he hath had of that Inftrument prefented to later- regnum.
him, as he had already exprefled himfelf; and that
what he exprerted had been from a very honeft Heart
toward the Parliament and Public, which (he faid)
he (pake not to compliment them, being part all
Confederations of that Kind, feeing both himfelf and
the Parliament muft be real now, if ever.
4 That in this Bufinefs they laid a Burden upon^a
Man confcious of his own Infirmities and Difabili-
ties ; ami therefore he hoped that it would be no
Evil in him to meafure their Advice and his own In-
firmities, feeing thcfe would have fome Influence
upon Confcience ; Confcience in him that receives
Talents, to know how he might anfwer the Truft
of them : That he hath had, and ftill hath, fuch a
Confcience ; and therefore that when he thought he
had had an Opportunity, lately, to make an Anfwer,
he made that Anfwer; being a Perfon that had been
before, and then, and fmce, lifting up his Heart to
God, to know what might be his Duty at fuch a
Time as this, and upon fuch an Occafion and Trial
as this was to him. '
' That he knew great Place, great Authority, to
be a great Burden ; and that he knew a Man who
was convinced, in his Confcience, that nothing lefs
would enable him to the Difcharge of it, than Af~
fiftance from above ; and that it concerned fuch a
Perfon, fo convinced and fo perfuaded, to be right
with the Lord in fuch an Undertaking. And that
if he undertook any Thing not in Faith, he might
ferve them in his own Unbelief, and fo be the un-
profitableft Servant that ever a People or a Nation
had.
' That he defired Leave therefore to afk Coun-
fcl, being ready to render a Reafon of his own Ap-
prehenfions, which, haply, might be overfwayed by
better Apprehenfions.
4 That as to the Point of Liberty, he acknow-
ledged they had made Provifion for it, both Spiri-
tual and Civil ; the greateit Proviiion that ever was
made.
•That
64 ?#<? Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter- rcgnum. ' That himfelf defired Liberty to vent his own
1657. Doubts, and his own Fears and Scruples, though
^-""V""1 "^ haply, in fuch Cafes as thefe were, the World had
Ai" ' judged that a Man's Confcience ought to know no
Scruple; but that his did; and that he durft not
diflemble ; and therefore they who were knowing
in the Ground of their own Actions, would beft be
able to meafure Advice to others.
' That there were many Things in that Inftru-
jnent, befides that one of the Name and Title of
King) which required much Information as to his
Judgment; and that it was they, and none but they,
that could capacitate him to receive Satisfaction in
them : That otherwife he muft fay, He was not in-
formed, and fo not ac"led, as he knew they intended
he fliould be, and as every Man in the Nation
fhould be.
' That he could not tell what other Return to
make to them than this, That he was ready to give
' them a Reafon if they would capacitate him to give
it, and themfelves to receive it, and to do that in
. the other Things, if they would inform him a little
more particularly than the Vote palTed Yefterday,
and now read to him : And that he hoped, when he
underftood the Grounds of thofe Things, the whole
being not fo much for their Good and his.own, as
for the Good of the Nation, there would be no
Doubt but that they might, even in thofe Particu-
lars, find out fuch Things as might anfwer their
Duty, his own, and all their Duties, to thofe whom
they both ferved.
* That this was what, with a great deal of
Affection, Honour, and Refpeft, he offered then
unto them.'
A Committee On the gth, the Speaker having reported the
appointed to re- Tranfa&ions of the foregoing Day, it was refolved,
ceive his Scru- t That a Committee be appointed to wait on the
?es* Lord Protector, and to receive from his Highnefs
his Doubts and Scruples touching any of the Parti-
culars contained in the humble Petition and Advice
for-
Of E N G L A N D. 65
formerly prefented ; and, in Anfwer thereunto, to Inter-recnum.
offer to his Highnefs Reafons for his Satisfaction, l657-
and for the Maintenance of the Refolutions of the r~~*~T^
Houfe : And fuch Particulars as they could not fa- p
tisfy his Highnefs in, to report to the Parliament.*
In purfuance of this Order the Committee waited
on the Lord Protestor, but were put off, from Day
to Day, as the Journals inform us, on account oj
an Indifpofition of Health in his Highnefs, and by
rcafon of a new Plot juft then difcovered againft
himc; fo that it was not till the 1 6th that they were
admitted to an Audience. The principal Speakers
on this Occafion were the two Chief Juftices,
Glynne and St. John, Mr. ffflutlffcJbtanc of the Com-
iniilioners of the Treafury, Mr. Lijle and Mr. Na-
thaniel Plenties, Commiffioners of the Great Seal,
Lord Brogbill, Mr. Lentball, Mafter of the Rolls,
Sir Charles ff^otfe/ey^ Sir Richard Onflow ', and Col.
Philip Jones.
VOL. XXI. E The
c This was an intended Infurreftion of the Fifth MoAarcky-Mtn,
heaJtd by Major- General Harrifon, Colonel Rich, Major Dan-vers,
and Vice Admiral Laivfon, who were taken into Cuftody of the Ser-
jeant at Arms ; and for the Difcovery of this Plot, Secretary Tbur-
he received the Parliament's Thanks.
•This new.Secl of Enthufiafts called themfelvcs The Remnant ivb*
tad -waited for the blcJJ'cd Appearance and Hope. The Device of their
Standard, which was brought into the Houfe by the Secretary, was
a Lion Couchant, gules, in a Field argent ; with this Motto, I'/ko
Jball roufe bim up f Gen. xlix. 9. One of the Perfons that had
been apprehended on this Occafion, being afked by the Speaker,
What was meant by this Lion ? anfwercd, " The Lion of the Tribe
ofjudab" This Standard they filled The Banr.fr that God bad gi-
ven to bit poor f tattered People : They invited all of their Opinion to
gather together into one, and to be united in the Work ; intending,
with Sword in Hand, according to their Light and Apprehenfion of
Things, (as they declared in Print) to give their Judgment, in re-
fpecl of Power, Laws, Government, Exercife of Magiftracy, Ad-
tniniftrdtion of Juftice, Rights and Privileges.
' And ho A- they intended to do this, they fet forth in thefe feveral
Particulars, vix.
1. ' By executing Vengeance upon the Beaft and the falfe Prophet,
the Kings of the Earth and their Armies and all the Inhabitants
and Powers of Btbjlon j which Name they failCn'd upon all Powers
bcfide their own.
2. ' By placing the Supreme LcgiHative Power in Cbrift.
3. ' By crofting a Sanbedrnr, fas they c.u'M it) or a S.-.'rem* Coun-
cflof Men, to be chofen by thenjfclvos, to b~ the Rcprefentativc of
the whole Body of the Saints, on the Bchah of Cat if,, wiiofc Pay
they
66 The Parliamentary HISTORY
inter-regnum. The Arguments offered by this Committee, witli
1657. the Protestor's Anfwers, were printed at this Time ;
*— — v~-J they were alfo reprinted in April, 1660, upon the
April. t^gn approaching Reftitution of Monarchy, and
again in 1680 and 1742, but all extremely incorrect.
The Journals, of the I5th of this Month, help us to
account for this unlucky Circumftance, by informing;
us, That the Committee's Notes not being perfectly
tranfcribed, they prayed further Time for that Pur-
tLod Pofe' We flla11 therefore endeavour to fupply this
Proteftor there- Deficiency in the beft Manner we are able j and
upon. where any of Cromwell's Speeches, on this Occa-
fion, are entered in the Journals, or the authentic
Diaries of the Times, give them from thofe Autho-
rities.
Having premifed thus much, we proceed to the
Matter of the Debate, which was opened by Mr.
Whitlocke, Chairman of the Committee, to this
Effed:
May it pleafe your Highnefs,
Wr. JWtitkcke, < I underftand that, by Order of the Parliament,
this Committee are tied up to receive only what your
Highnefs (hall be pleafed to offer, as to your Doubts
or Scruples upon this Paper : The very Words of
the Order are, That the Committee have Power to
attend your Highnefs, to receive from your Highnefs
your Doubts and Scruples touching any of the Particu-
lars contained in the humble Petition and Advice, for-
merly prefented ; and, in Anfwer thereunto, to offer
to
they faid, was now come ; and therefore that they were to aft as
Princes under Cbrift, and to govern according to their Light.
Comment Journals. Public* Intelligencer, N°. 79.
Mercurius Politicus, N°. 403.
There are alfo in the 5th and 6th Volumes of Tburloe's State-
Papers, and in Nickel/is Collection of Letters, &c. addre/ed to Oliver
Crormvell, many Papers and Examinations relating to this Plot, and
the Principles of this wild Seel, to whom Mr. Butler feems to allude
in thefq Lines,
Some -were far fettir.g up a King,
' But all the reft for no fuch "Thing,
Vnlefs King Jefus.
Hudihras, publifhed by Dr. Grey, Vd, II, p, 244.
Of E N G L A N D. 67
tb your Highnefs Reafons for your Satisfafiiony and Inter-regnulh.
for the Maintenance of the Refolutions of the Houfe ; ^_ 7"^
and fuch Particulars as we cannot Jatisfy your High- ^j^
nefs in, that ice may report the Jame to the Parlia-
ment.
4 Your Highnefs is pleafed to mention the Gb-
vernment, as it now is ; and feem, to fome of our
Apprehenfions, as if you made that an Objection,*
If the Government be welt, why do you change it ? If
that be intended by your Highnefs as an Obje&ion
in the general, I fuppofe the Committee will give
you Satisfaction.'
The Lord Commiffioner IVhithckt having of-
fered thus much, the Protestor faid,
' He thought all of them met with a very good
Inclination to come to fome Iflue in that grand Af-
fair; and he could afiure them he had all the Rea-
fon and Argument in the World to move him to it,
and was very ready to be guided by them in thci
Way of Proceeding; only he confefled that, ac-
cording to his own Thoughts in preparing for fuch
a Work as this, he had formed this Notion of it
to himfelf : That having met them twice, at the
Committee firft, and returned them that Anfwer
that he gave them then, and the Houfe a fecond
Time, he did perceive, that the Favour and Indul-
gence the Houfe fhew'd him in that, was, that he
might receive Satisfaction : That he knew they
might have been pofitive in the Thing, and faid,
They had done enough, if they had only made fuch
an Addrefs to him : That they might have infifted,
That by only offering it, he could plainly fee his
Satisfaction was aimed at : That he, really and fin-
cerely, thought fo ; and that, truly, he thought
there was one Claufe in the Paper that did a little
warrant this Notion, To offer fuch Reafons for his
Satisfaftion, and for the Maintenance of the Refolu-
tions of the Houje.
* That it was true, the Occafion of all this was
the Anfwer he had made : That this occafioned a
Committee to come thither, in order to his Satis-
E 2 faction 3
Inter- regnum,
1657.
U^-v~*-
April.
68 *fbe Parliamentary HISTORY
faction ; and that if they would draw out his
Reafons from him, he would offer them ; but he
doubted, on his Part, if they ftiould proceed that
Way, it would put him a little out of the Method
of his own Thoughts ; and it being mutual Satis-
faction, that was endeavoured, if they would do him
the Favour, it would more agree with his Me-
thod, to leave them, firft, to confider their own
Thoughts of it together.
The Prote&or having paufed here, the Lord
Commifiloner thought it proper to exprefs himfelf,
briefly, after this Manner :
Mr. mitloeke. « The Committee that are commanded by the
Parliament, and are here prefent to wait upon your
Highnefs, I do fuppofe, cannot undertake to give
the Reafons of the Parliament for what they have
done ; but any Gentleman here can efive his own
particular Opinion, for your Highnefs's Satisfac-
tion ; and if you will be pleafed to go in the Way
\vhichyouhave propofed, and, either in general or
in particular, to require Satisfaction from the Com-
mittee, I fuppofe we {hall be ready to do the bell
we can to give it you.'
The Proteaor took the Word, and faid,
fcord Protttfor. ' ^ think if this be fo, then I fuppofe nothing can
be faid by you, but what the Parliament hath dila-
ted to you ; yet I think it is clearly exprefled, That
the Parliament intends Satisfaction ; then is it as
clear, That there muft be Reafons and Argumenta
that have Light and Conviction in them, in order
for Satisfaction.
4 I fpeak for myfelf herein ; I hope you will think
no otherwife : I fay, it doth appear fo to me, That
you have the Liberty of your own Reafons : I
think, if I mould cite any of them, I cannot calf
this the Reafon of the Parliament. In Parliament
tary Determinations and Conclufions, by Votes of
the feveral Particulars of the Government, that
Reafon is dilated and diffufed, and every Man hath
a Share of it -t and therefore, when they have deter-
jnin'd
Of E N G L A N D. 69
inin'd fuch a Thing, certainly it was Reafon that intcr-regnum.
Jed them up into it. I do very refpectfully rcprefent 1657.
to you, That I have a general Diflatisfaction to *— -v— -*
the Thing ; and I defire that I may be informed April,
in theGrounds that led you, who, I prefume, are all
Perfons well fatisfied with the Thing, and every Part
of it; and if you will not be pleafed to think that fi£,
1 will not farther urge it upon you : To proceed
that Way will be a Favour to me; otherwife, I (halt
deal plainly with you, it doth put me out of the
Method of my own Conceptions : And then I fhall
•beg that I may have an Hour's Deliberation, and
that we may meet again in the Afternoon.'
Here the Lord Chief Juftice St. John acquainted Lord Chi-f Ju-
the Lord Proteftor, « That the Parliament had fent «»« St. John.
them to wait upon his Highnefs, to give him any
Satisfaction that their Abilities could fuggeft : That
the whole Paper confided of many Heads : And
that if his Highnefs intended Satisfaction, the Pro-
pofitions being general, they could give but gene-
ral Satisfaction, for which they were ready.' The
Protector hereupon went on : ' If you will pleafe to.
give me Leave, I do agree the Thing is general, as
it falls under the Notion of a Settlement : That's a
General that confifts of many Particulars j and tru-
ly, if you call it by the Title it bears, there it is
general ; it is Advice, Defires and Advice : And,
the Truth is, that which I have made my Objec-
tion to, is but one Thing as yet ; only the laft
Time I had the Honour to meet the Parliament, I
did offer to them, That they would put me into a
Condition to receive Satisfaction to the Particulars :
No QuefHon, I might eafily offer fomething parti-
cular tor Debate, if I thought that would anfwer
the End ; for, truly, I know my End and yours is
the fame ; that is, to bring Things to an Ufue one
Way or other, that we may know where we are ;
that we may attain that general End, which is a
Settlement : The End is in us both ; and I durft
contend with any one Perfon in the World, That
it is not more in his Heart than in mine. I could
go to fonic Particulars to afk a Queftion, or aflc a
E 3 Rca*
jo 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jater-regnum. Reafon of the Alteration, which would well enough
l657- let you into the Bufmefs ; yet I fay it doth not an-
•*""TV7"""J fwer me. I confefs, I did not fo ftrictly examine
that Order of Reference, or whether I read it or
not, I cannot tell ; if you will have it that Way,
I fhall, as well as I can, make fuch an Objection
as may occafion fome Anfwer to it, though perhaps
I mail object weakly enough. I ihall very freely
fubmit to you.'
Lord Chief Ju- The Lord Chief Juftice St. John and the Lord
flice St. John Commiflioner Fiennes^ owning, here, to the Protec-
***'^ ' That they found they were impower'd to offer
any Reafons that they thought fit, either for the Sa-
tisfaction of his Highnefs, or Maintenance of what
the Parliament had given him their Advice in ; and
that they thought they were rather to offer to his
Highnefs the Reafons of the Parliament, if his High-
nefs's Diflatisfaction was to the Alteration of Go-
vernment in general, or in particular ;' the Lord
Protector told them, ' He was very ready to fay, he
had no Difiatisfadion : That it had pleafed the Par-
liament to find out a Way, though it were of Alte-
ration, to bring thefe Nations into a good Settle-
ment; and that, perhaps, they might have judged
the Settlement, we were in, was not fo much for
the great End of Government, the Liberty and Good
of the Nations, and the Prefervation of all thofe
honeft Interefts that had been engaged in that Caufe:
He faid, * He had no Exception in the general, that
the Parliament had thought fit to take into their Con-
fideration a new Settlement, or Government; but
that having done it as they had, and made him fo
far interefted as to make fuch an Overture to him,
he mould be very glad if they were pleafed to let
him know their Reafon for making the Alteration
fuch as it was: That though he could not prefume
that he had any Thing to offer to them that might
convince them ; yet, if they would take it in good
Part, he mould offer fomewhat as to every Particu-
lar : That as to the firft Particular, he was clear as
to the Ground of it, being fo put to him as it had
That he thought fome of the Grounds,
upoq
€>/ E N G L A N D. 71
ITOOR which it was done, would very well lead him Inter-regnum.
into fuch Objections or Doubts as he might offer, and
would be a very great Help to him therein ; and that
if they would have him ftate this, that, or the other
Doubt that might arife methodically, he ftiould do it/
Hereupon the Lord Commiffioner/i^zV/?^* beganMr.
the Argument in this Manner : ' 1 am very much
aflured, that all this Company is come with the fame
Affection, and faithful Refpect to the publick Settle-
ment, as your Highnefs hath been pleafed to exprefs.
For my Part, I do, with a great deal of Clearnefs
and Faithfulnefs, and, in my particular Apprehen-
fion, conceive that the Method which your High-
ne(s mentioned to proceed in, we may anfwer for ;
and if any Gentleman be of another Opinion, let
him be pleafed to cor reel: me in it.
* The Parliament taking Confideration of the
prefent Government, and the Inftrument that doth
eftablifli it, feem to be of Opinion that it was very
fit there mould be fome Courfe taken for a Settle-
ment in the Government of the Nation, by the Su-
preme Legiflative Power: Your Highnefs and the
Parliament concurring together, they found the In-
itrumcnt of Government, in the Original and Foun-
dation of it, to require a Settlement by the Supreme
Legiflative Power, in regard the Original of the
other, as I apprehended by fome Gentlemen's De-
bates upon it, might be an Occafion of fome Doubts,
and of lefs Stability, if it were left to continue upon
the fame Foundation as it now is.
4 That it will not be fo clear a Settlement and
Foundation for the Prefervation of the Rights and
Liberties of the Nation, as if we came to a Settle-
ment by the Supreme Legiflative Power; upon that
Ground, I fay, it was taken Lnto Confideration ; and
a Settlement brought to Effect, upon very folemn,
full, and candid Debates, among themfelves, in
Parliament.
« Their Intentions, I fuppofe, were only thefc: To
provide for the Safety and Peace of the Nations here-
after y to provide for the Rights and Liberties) both
Spiritual and Civil t of the People of theft Nations:
72 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Tnter-rcgnum. And, in order to make the beft Provifion they could
. _^-; for thefe great Concernments of the People, the Pe-
tition and Advice, which they have humbly prefent-
ed to your Highnefs, was brought to a Determina-
tion by them.
6 As for that Particular which your Highnefs did
formerly intimate, when the Parliament did attend
upon you, and the Committee of the Parliament
fmce, and that which you are now pleafed to inti-
mate, concerning the Title, I do humbly apprehend
the Grounds thereof to be thefe :
' The Foundation of the Title of ProteHor being
not known by the Law, but being a new Title, it
was thought that the Title which was known by the
Law of England for many Ages, many Hundreds of
Years together received, the Law fitted to it, and
that to the Law, might be of more Certainty, clear-
er Eftablifhment, and more conformable to the Laws
of the Nation ; that this Title, I fay, fhould be that
of King , rather than that other of Prctcttor.
' There is very much as to the EfTence of the Bu-
finefs, as fome Gentlemen did apprehend, that the
Title fhould be a known Title; that which hath
been, in all thefe Times and Ages, received ; that
which every particular Perfon hath Occafion to know,
and his Rights applied to it: The general Rights of
the People, and their Liberties, have an Application
likewife, to that Name; which Application cannot
be fo clear and certain to fo new a Title, as that of
Prote£lor.
' I have heard fome Gentlemen argue, that the
Title of Proteftor is grounded only upon the Ori-
ginal and Foundation as it now ftands; but the Title
of Kingi befides the Conftitutions to which it (hall
be made to relate, will likewife have a Foundation
upon the old and known Laws of the Nation : So
that there will be both the prefent Conftitution, and
Jikewife the antient Foundation of the Laws of Eng-
land, to be the Bafis of the Title of King :
' What Inconveniences Changes of this Nature
may bring with them, can hardly, in every Particu-
lar, be forefeen j but it is imagined that there will be
many
Of E N G L A N D. 73
many, which pofiibly we may not be able before- Interregnum.
hand to comprehend : Therefore there feems to be J^57«
more of Certainty and Stability, and of the Supreme <ta*TvT~^
Authority and Civil Sanction, upon the Title of
King, than upon the other of Proteftor: This I
humbly apprehend to be one Reafon concerning
both the Eftablifhment of the whole Petition and 4d-
i)ice> and alfo that Particular, which I think is the
firft Part of it, to which your Highnefs feemed to
object.'
The Lord Commiflioner Whitlocke was feconded
herein by Mr. Lentball^ Mafter of the Rolls. *
May it pleafe ymir Higbnefs^
• I am very glad there is fuch a Latitude that we Mr. Ltntball.
may fhcw ourlelves here: I know the Parliament
intends to give your Highnefs all the Satisfaction that
may be: And truly, 1 fay, upon the firvt Head,
which your Highnefs is picafed to call a Title, as if
it were a bare Title, I muft humbly crave Pardon
if I do not think it, neither did the Houfe think it
fo; but it carries more in it of Weight than a meer
Title: For, upon due Confideration, you fliall find,
that the whole Body of the Law is carried upon this
Wheel j it is not a Thing that Hands on the Top
meerly, but runs through the whole Life and Veins
of the Law: Look upon all our Laws ever fmce we
had Laws ; look upon all the Conftitution , ftill there
is fuch an Intereft, not of the Title, but of the
Name of King. Befides, the Title, that's not the
Thing; for the Title you may rather tie to the Per-
fon, than to the Thing ; but the Word King doth
fignify the Perfon.
4 Now, Sir, we fee, in all the Ways of our Pro-
ceedings, in the maintaining of the Rights, Proper-
ties and Interefh of the People, and of the Preroga-
tive of the Chief Magiftrate, that the very Office
carries
a Speaker of the Houfe of Commons In February, 1648 ; when it
was rcfolv'd, « That it hath been found by Experience, that the Of-
fice nt .1 K;r.g in thii Nation, and to have the Power thereof in any
Single Perfon, is unnecellafy, burthenfome, and dangerous to the
Liberty, S.ifrty, and public Intereft of the People of this Nation ; and
therefore ou^ht tu be aboliflud.* Stt our iSri vol. p, 554.
74 ^fa Parliamentary HISTORY
Interregnum, carries on the Bufinefs, and not the Title; arid yet
l657- it muft be fuch a Title too, as implies the Office
*- 7~l'~ ~~* and makes the Office fuitable to the Law : It's the
p Office that doth fignify the Perfon, not the Perfon
the Office. I (hall crave your Highnefs's Pardon, if
I fpeak any thing amifs. We fee that the very Of-
fice carries it on, and not the Perfon, yet that Of-
fice rrtuft have a Suitablenefs. I have obferved all
along, that we have had many Debates that have
arifen in this Nation about the Thing ; but the
Ground and Reafon why they have adhered to this
Title, was for the Maintenance of their Liberties,
not for the Change of the Office.
' I muft confefs, I do not fee that the other Title
of Protestor will do the fame Thing, that having
no further Latitude, nor Extent, but the very In-
•ftrument ; it goes no further, for the very Inftru-
ment is the Foundation of it, and it can find no other
Original; we have had thofe Names heretofore, yet
never grounded upon the Thing itfelf, but grounded
upon the Office of a King. The Proteftor had no
Office or Duty to perform, but what was under the
Office and Duty of a King; it's very true, it is not
fo now, certainly, for you have now a Title upon
that Foundation which is the Inftrument, and it
can reach no further : It is a Title that I cannot
fee, I muft confefs, but that we may have, under
it, a good Magiftrate and good Officers ; but it
may extend whither it will; it hath no Limit at all ;
and if the Chief Magiftrate fhould prove otherwife
than good, you have no Limits to it by any Rule
of Law that I underftand : If you pleafe, give me
Leave to tell you, that the very Inftrument does
give a Foundation to the Title of Protestor, I am
iure, to crofs, if he pleafe, the moft Fundamental
Points of the Law.
* There was a Time, when a Prince of this Na-
tion b, a very late Time too, would change a Name;
and it was a very (lender Change, for it was but
from that of King of England to King of Great-
Britain ; and this was prefented to the Parliament.
It
b Xing James I. See the Proceedings on this Affair, fut, At;r.s
1604.
Of E N G L A N D. 7-
It was debated many Days, and it was refolved Inter-regnui».
there, and fettled, That they could not change it; l657-
there was fo much Hazard in that Change, they S"~T JT
knew not but that all their Rights and Liberties
might be thereby altered ; and when the King fa\v
he could not obtain it of the Houie, he declared by
Proclamation, That he never intended to take any
Name upon him that fhould raife any Doubt as to
the Liberties and Privileges of Parliament; and cau-
fed that Proclamation to be very cunningly printed,
and put among the Statutes, though indeed it was
none of them: tfut becaufe there was Danger, he
laid it down willingly ; only, fays he, your Di-
vines, in the Pulpit, thall pray for me by the Tide of
King of Great -Britain^ and Ambafiadors (hall make
their Addrefs by that Name ; but the Name, in
your Laws, I will not alter.
* In the Parliament of 1653, there was a Que-
ftion, Whether they (hould not alter the Name of
Parliament c, and call it, The Reprefentative of the
People ? But the whole Houfe went upon this
Ground, That by changing the Name of Parlia-
ment to a Representative, they did not know how it
might change the very Couilb, Ground, and Reafon
of Parliaments ; there is a great deal of Impor-
tance in the very Name : 1 remember a very honour-
able Pcrfon was then very earneft for it ; I mean,
for having this Name changed, and he fhew'd ma-
ny Reafons for it ; but hearing the Debates and
Reafons againlt it, he fat down, and was fatisfied ;
I think I may name him, it was my Lord Ireton^
who faid, He was fatisfied it was not fit to be done
at that Time.
' It was a famous Story in every Man's Mouth
heretofore, when there was but little Intention to
change the Law; I fay, it was a general Resolution
given, by the Lords, Nolumus Leges Angliamntarc:
It's doubted, yea conceived impoilible, to annex the
Laws and the Title of Prttetlor together : This I
muft fay, we come now with an Intention for a per-
fccl Settlement, fuch as may give Safety to the Na-
tion,
c In our Twentieth Volum^, p. 182.
76 ¥he Parliamentary HISTORY
tion, to your Perfon, and to the People ; for in-
16 57- deed, Sir, they are very jealous of their Laws and
*"""TV*r"""'^ Liberties, and have been fo in all Ages ; and tho*
there may be no Intention to do fuch a Thing, yet
if you have a Doubt, it's better and more fafe for
the Chief Magistrate to keep to that which hath no
Doubt.
' The Parliament putting their own Interefts and
Regard for you together, and giving you this Ad-
vice, this is Vox Pcpuli ; for it is the Voice of
Three Nations in one Parliament. Upon Public
Intereft, the chief Thing is the Safety of the
People ; to that Safety, your Will, your Judg-
ment, nay, give me Leave to tell you, your Con-
icience is bound ; for it is the principal End of Go-
vernment and Governors : This is prefented to you
by Three Nations, by the Parliament ; altho' you
may make your Hefitations, yet fuch a Thing is of
great Weight and Confequence. By the Laws, I
can fay, in all Generations, this is mine, and this
is the Prince's ; and the Prince cannot do me
Wrong, nor the Council cannot do me Wrong, &c.
Therefore I think you may fafely, and I hope you
•will, agree to this Particular, as we have prefented
it : I dare not fay, that your Highnefs, as it comes
in a way of Advice from the Parliament, ought to
dofo.'
i«rd Protefior. Mr. Lentball having ended, the Lord Proteclor
told the Committee, ' That he could not deny but
the Things that had been fpoken, had been urged
with great Weight ; and that it was not fit for
him to afk any of them if they had a Mind to fpeak
farther to it ; but if fuch had been their Pleafurc,
that truly then he thought it would have made him,
according to the Method and Way he had concei-
ved to himfelf, the more prepared to have returned
fome Anfwer : He was fure the Bufmefs required it
from any Man in the World, much more from him,
to make ferious and true Anfwers j he meant fuch
as were not feigned in his own Thoughts, but fuch
wherein he exprelTed the Truth and Honefty of his
Heart :
Of E N G L A N D. 77
Heart : In fhort, That he hoped, when he ha<l Inter-regnnni.
heard them fo far as it was their Pleafure to fpeak to
that Head, he fhould have been in a Condition that
Afternoon, if it had not been a Trouble to them,
to have returned his Anfwer upon a little Conllde-
ration with himfelf; but that feeing they had not
thought it convenient to proceed that Way, truly
he thought he might very well fay, That he haa
need to have a little Time to refolve what Anfwer
to return, left their Debate fhould end, on his Part,
with a very vain Difcourfe, and with Lightnefs :
And therefore, if they thought to proceed farther,
and to fpealc to thefe Things, he fliould have made
his own fhort Animadvemons on the whole that
Afternoon, and return'd fome fhort Reply; and
this would have ufher'd him into the Way, not on-
ly to have given the beft Anfwer he could, but to
have made his own Objections.'
The Protector having, in this Manner, given In-
timation of his Readinefs to hear any farther Ar-
guments, the Chief Juftice Glynne began thus :
< Since it is your Highnefs's Pleafure that itLord Chief ju
fliould be fpokento now, altogether, by thofe thatft
have any Thing to fay, I think it the Intent of the
Committee, and the Parliament, to give your
Highnefs Satisfaction in all Particulars, both as to
Subftance and Circumftance. I confefs I waited for
Objections from your Highnefs, that being the
principal Scope of the Order.
' Truly, my Lord, I ftand up with no Confi-
dence that I can add any Thing to what hath been,
laid ; but becaufe it pleafes your Highnefs to do us
the great Favour to put ustto Particulars, I think the
Queition with you is but fmgly thus : / am already
Protector, and 1 am by that Office put at the Head
of the Government, whereby 1 meet the Parliament
now ; you defire me to take upon me the Office of
King, Why do ye fo ? That which we are to fpeak
here, is no other but that which we can under-
irand was the Senfe of the Parliament, in JuiKfica-
iion of what they have done : I fhaJl not ipeak any
Thing
78 1'he Parliamentary HISTORY
Inttr-regnum . Thing of the Government itfelf, but to this Parti-
1657. cular.
^— — \^-~^ * I think the Office of a King is a lawful Office,
AFnl« and the Title too, approved of by the Word of
God ; that's plain. It is plain likewife, that it is
an Office that hath been exercifed in this Nation
from the Time it hath been a Nation ; and I think
it is as true, that then- never was any Quarrel with
the OiHce, but the Mai Administration, that lean
remember; I mean, ill Government. Oftentimes
Kings have been blamed, and very juftly, for their
ill Government ; but we do not read that there was
any Challenge by the Parliament, that this Govern-
ment we defire mould be difcharged : If that be
true, it is to me a ftrange Ground, having pafTed
the Scrutiny of fo many Parliaments where they
did debate de Re, that, in all thele Debates, they
did not charge it upon the Nation, that the Office
cf a King was a Burthen in its own Nature ; and
this too, when Parliaments have had Opportunity
to have changed the Government.
* The Name of King is a Name known by the
Law, and the Parliament doth defire that your
Highnefs would aflume that Title. Thefe are the
Grounds why the Parliament make it their humble
Advice and Requeft to your Hiehnefs, that you
would be pleafed to aflume that Title ; and I think
there is fomething more in it : You are now Lord
Protestor of the Three Nations by the Inftrument j
and there is a Claufe in this Conftitution, that you
(hould govern according to Law ; and your High-
nefs is fworn to that Government. The Parlia-
ment doth apprehend, that it is almoft impoflible
for your Highnefs to anfwier the Expectation of the
People to be governed by the Laws ; becaufe you
are fo tied up, that neither can they rationally call
for it, nor you confcientioufly do it ; and fo nei-
ther is the Lord Prctcflor, nor the People, upon
any fure Eftablifhment : For here (lands the Cafe :
A King hath run through fo many Ages in this
Nation, and hath governed the Nation by that
Title and Style, that it is known to the Law ; for
the
Of E N C L A N D. 79
the Law of the Nation is no othcrwife than what
hath been a Cuftom to be pra&ifed, and is ap-
proved by the People to be good ; that's the Law ;
and nothing clfe, excepting A£ts of Parliament :
And now they have been governed by that Title,
and by that Minifter, and by that Office, if fo
be your Highnefs fhourd do any Act, and onq
fhould come and fay, My Lord Protefior^ you are
Jworn to govern by the Law, and yet do thus and
thus, as Lord Protector ; tvhyt the King cndd not
have done fo ! Aye^ (fay you) but I am not King,
1 am not bound to do as the King, / am Lord Protec-
tor \ Jhew me, that the Law doth require me to do It
as Protedlor ; if 1 have not afted as Protector, Jbew
me where that Law is : Why, you put every one to
a Stumble in that Cafe : This is one Thing that, I
humbly conceive, did ftick with the Parliament, as
to that Particular.
' Another Thing is this, you are Protestor; which
is a new Office not known to the Law, and made
out of Doors : You are called upon, that you woul J:
be pleafed to accept the Office of a King; this is, by
the whole People: It's the fir ft Government that,
fince thefe Troubles, hath been tendered by a gene-
ral and univerfal Confent of the People. If any
fhould find Fault with them, and fay, ll'hy^ how
fame you to make Governments in this Cafe? Why,
the Anfwer is, We are a Parliament, and have your
Suffrage ; you have ever trufted us with all your Votes ,
and we willjuftify it: But be/ides, we have not dene it
Jttither ; we have but fettled it upon the old Fcundations.
' Then as for Regal Government ; however,
fome may pretend that a King's prerogative is fa
large that we know it not, but is unbounded; the
Parliament are not of that Opinion. The King's
Prerogative is known by Law ; if he fhould extend it
beyond his Duty, that's the Evil of the Man: But
in Wejlminjler- Hall, the King's Prerogative was un-
der the Courts of Jufticc ; and was bounded as wel!
as any Acre of Land, or any Thing a Man hath ; as
irtuch as any Controvcrfy between Party ruvl Party:
And therefore the Office being lawful in its Nature,
known
So *flse Parliamentary HISTORY
known to the Nation, certain in itfelf, and confin'd
and regulated by the Law, and the other Office be-
ing not fo, that was a fufficient Reafon why the
Parliament did fo much infift upon this Office and
Title, not asCircumftantial, bur as EiTential; yea,
it is the Head from whence all the Nerves and Si-
news of the Government do proceed, as was well
faid by the Mafter of the Rolls: If we put a new
Head, it's a Queftion whether thofe Nerves and Si-
news will grow, and be nourifhed and ftrcngthened
with that Head.
* I had fomething in my Thoughts which I had
forgot ; fomething of an Objection. ' Why are we
* fo pertinacious, or infift fo much upon this Title ?
' May we not apply all the Powers and Authorities
' unto the Office of Proiettor, and then we (hall
* give Satisfaction f ' I muft rjeeds fay, He that makes
this Objection, makes it merely to a Name. If
any Man ihall fay, I am content the Protestor fhall
have the Office, but not the Name, I think this
Man is very ftrait laced ; Then he puts it merely
upon the Word ; and truly, if there be no more in
it, if there be nothing but that Word, you have, in
Balance againft it the Defires of the Parliament : I
befeech you, do not break with the Parliament for
a Word.
' Another Objection is, We have been under the
Proteflor^ and the Judges have taken their Office
under that Government ; and the Judges have ta-
ken their Meafures by the Authority of the King ;
and have taken it to be the fame with that of Kingj
and fo go on. I confefs that the Judges have
gone very far th^ Way, and I fhall not fpeak my
own Opinion of the Matter here ; but yet it is very
well known, that there hath been Variety of Opi-
nions and Judgments in this Cafe, even from thofe
that have been Judges of the Nation ; and I do not
take the People to be upon a very good Eftablifh-
ment, when Doubts arife in thofe that (hould have
moft Knowledge. I would never make a Doubt
that tends to the making of Foundations, if I could
avoid it. The taking of this Office will avoid a
Doubt t
Of E N G L A N D. 81
Doubt ; the continuing of the other Office may be Inter-regnum,
more uncertain. I would never make a Doubt l657-
where it may be clear ; puhaps the taking of the
other would reduce Men to Satisfaction ; there is but
a Perhaps in the one, and a Certainty in the other.
* The Chief- Juftice was feconded in this Argu-
ment by Sir Charles ffaljeley^ to this Effect.
' Not only we that are here, but many honed Sir Cbarkt
Hearts in England^ rejoice to fee this Day, wherein Wolf'fy*
your Highnefs and the Parliament are, with fo
much Ncarnefs and Affection, debating the Settle-
ment of the Nation : One Reafon why your High-
nefs fhculd take this Title offered you by the Par-
liament, is, becaufe, as you ftand in relation to the
old Government, you are obliged to the Law, yet
have not the Advantage of the Law ; which the
Chief Magiftrate ought to have. The Law knows
not a Proteftor^ and requires no Obedience from
the People to him. The Parliament defires to fet-
tle one fo, that the People may know your Duty to
them, and they their Duty to you. The Parliament
find the Minds of the People of thefe Nations much
fet upon this Office and Title : God hath, by his
Providence, put a general Defire of it into the Na-
tion ; and they think, in Things not unlawful, they
ought to hearken, and to be much inclined by the
Defires of them that fent them ; and in fuch Things
as are for their Good, as this is, to be much provo-
ked thereby to the doing of them.
* Truly, Sir, it hath been much in the Thoughts
of the Parliament, that the Reafon why Things of
late have been fo unfettled, throughout, in thefe Na-
tions, hath been, becaufe that to the Body of this
People there hath not been a Legal Head : The
Well-being of the Head is not more neceffary to
the wholefome Conftitution of the Body Natural,
than a right Head is neceffary to the Body Politic.
' I muft humbly tell your Highnefs, This Nation
hath ever been a Lover of Monarchy, and of Mo-
narchy under the Title of a King : The Name and
Office hath, for above a Thoufand Years, been in
VOL. XXI. F this
82 The Parliamentary HISTORY
inter-regnum, this Nation ; though they have often changed their
Princes, yet never the Name nor Office. 'Tis the
great Common Law, that is, the Cuftom of the
Nation, approved for good by many Ages, to have
"the Office and Name of a King : No new Law that
makes any other, can have that Validity, which
the Cuftom of fo many Ages hath.
' Sir, the Parliament doth judge the Safety of
your Perfon much concerned to take this Title ;
and 'tis not yourfelf they look to, (though their
Hearts are as full of RefpecT:, I may fay it, for your
Highnefs as can be) but to you as Chief Magiftrate,
reprefenting the People ; and being Head of the Law,
and of all Magiftracy % the People have a Share
and Concernment in you. We fee the great En-
couragement of thofe Attempts againft your Perfon,
hath been this, that the Law did not take Notice of
you as Chief Magiftrate ; and that Juries were ge-
nerally backward te find any guilty of Treafon for
ill Attempts againft you. The Parliament cannot
think it fit to have their Chief Magiftrate in fuch
a Condition.
' Your Highnefs hath been pleafed to call your-
felf, when you fpeak to the Parliament, a Servant ;
you are fo indeed to the People, and 'tis your great-
eft Honour fo to be. I hope then, Sir, you will
give the People Leave to name their own Servant :
That is a Due you cannot, you will not, certainly
deny them : Their Reprefentatives defire you will
ferve the People under this Title ; and, were there
jio other Reafon, 'tis therefore the beft.
' I befeech your Highnefs to confider, if you
fhould refufe this Title the Parliament prefents you
with, you do not only deny yourfelf the Honour
they put upon you, but you deny the Nation, you
deny the People, their Honour which by Right
they ought to have. 'Tis this Honour and their
juft Birth- right, to have a Supreme Magiftrate un-
der
a At the Trial of Sytidercomle, who was inclined of High-Treafon,
for being concerned in a Plot to afiafiinate the Lord Proteftor, the
Chief JufHce Glyr.ne told the Jury, that hy the Word King, the Law
always underftood the Chief Magiflute, by whatsoever Name he was
'' '
O/ E N G L A N D. .83
der the Title of King. I know, Sir, tho' you can Inter-regnumi
deny yourfelf, yet you will not deny the Nation *
their Due, when their Reprefentatives challenge it '"^a^
from you. The Parliament have highly engaged
all the good People of this Nation to make you,
who are one of them, and have been in thefe-
Troubles their Head and Leader, to be their King.
And certainly, Sir, whatever Diflatisfaclion may
be in this Cafe, it ought not to weigh : If there be
any Judge on Earth of the People's Good, 'tis the
whole People reprefented together; and what others
fay is but by Individuals. Sir, the Parliament have
Hundreds, nay Thoufands, upon their Backs, the
good People of the Nation, a quiet peaceable People
•with you ; and what the Parliament {hall judge fit,
is their Duty, and no doubt they will fubmit to it :
Sir, were there in this Matter no other Reafon why
you fhould accept this Title, I know this alone,
which indeed is the greatefl. Reafon I can givej
•would fway with you above any Thing, That what
is before you, is the Advice of your great Council^
the Parliament.'
• The Lord Commiflloncr Fiennes fpoke next :
* I mail offer what I conceive, from the Parlia-Mr. N. FieaneA
ment's Debates, to be the Reafons why they advife
your Highnefs to this Title ; and feeing what is in
the Fountain muft be conveyed by fuch Pipes, I
ftiall clear the State of the Queftion ; which, in the
firft Place, if I miftake not, is only upon the Name,
not upon the Thing ; not upon the Office of a King9
But upon the Title of a King: For, the Queftion is,
Whether the fame Thing mail be fignified by the
Office of a King under the Name of a King, or by
the Office of a King under the Name of a Proteftor.
• Undoubtedly the Office of a King may be more ri-
goroufly exercifed under Another Name, than tho'
the Name of Kin» be there : He that faid, He
would not do his Matter's Will, and yet did it, did
it more than he that faid he would, and yet did it
not : He that hath all the Powers and Authorities
of a King, is a King, tho' he have not the Name :
F 2 But
84. The Parliamentary HISTORY
fater-regnum. ^ut there *s fomevvhat of Diverhty in this Cafe,
1657. wherein, Sir, you muft either enumerate all the
L«i ^*J— ** Poweis of a Protestor , or what is left to be enume-
April. rated muft be the fame Thing as the Law fays is
the Duty of a King ; and this I think the Judges
have determined.
* This therefore being the clear State of the Que-
ftion, the Difference will arife meerly upon the
Name; and the Parliament did not think it agree-
able to their Wifdom to infpect all the Laws, and
all the Cafes, and make the Name of Protettor to
fuit them, or elfe leave it lawlefs and boundlefs ;
but what was not confined to the Power of a King,
Was confined to the Decifion of the Law. That be-
ing fo, the Parliament thinks it is fit for them to do
as all wife Men do, to give Names according to the
Nature of the Thing, and either they muft fit all
the Laws to the Name, and that is impoflible ; or
leave the Name unbounded, and that's intolerable.
All Creatures were brought to Adam to give them
Names, which he did according to their Natures.
And fo the Parliament, confidering what the Thing
is that they were about to advife your Highnefs to,
find this to be the fame Government as was before ;
and if they would have that, why not their old Name ?
If the Thing, why not the Title ? Truly, it feems
very reafonable that Names ftiould be proportioned
to the Things : They have found divers Reafons
why the Name mould be King, becaufe it is a Thing
elear to all the World that the People are more wil-
lingly obedient to old Things and Names, than to
new ; and fo far as old Things can be retained with-
out Danger or Inconvenience, it is the Wifdom and
Duty of all Governments to retain them.
Mr, Lijk. The Argument offered on this Occafion, by Mr.
L'tfle, the other Commiffioner of the Great Seal,
was in thefe Terms. ' I humbly conceive, That,
in this Title propofed to your Highnefs by the Par-
liament, they take the fame Care for yourHighnefc,
as Jethro took for Mofes ; they find the Weight of
the Government, as it is now upon you under the
Title of Proteftor, to be a Burthen that will weary
both
Of E N G L A N D. 85
both vourfclf and the People likewife ; and therefore intcr-regnum.
they 'do defire your Highnefs will be pleafed to ac- l6S7-
cept of that Title which may be an Eafe to your ^— ~v"~"-' '
Highnefs and to the People.
4 The greatcft Weight and Burthen of Govern-
ment, is, when there is a Jealoufy between the '
Prince and the People for want of a right Under-
ftanding: Now, though, neither Parliament nor
People have a Jealoufy of your Perfon, yet of the
Title they have, for want of a right Underftanding :
But if your Highnefs will be pleafed to accept of the
Title that is now offered, all Jealoufies will be done
away ; for they will then underftand what you arc ;
and truly, Sir, I think the Jealoufy will be higher
now, than at firft when the Remonftrance was of-
fered to you : For the Title of Protettor is either
the fame 7'hing in Power with the Title of King,
or it is fomething elfe. If it be fomething elfe than
what the Title of King is when it is confined, this
will raife their Jealoufy very much. If it be the
fame Thing, then there is nothing of Difference but
a Name; and they will think there is more than a
Name, if the Parliament do offer it to your High-
nefs, and you (hould wave it.
« Sir, the Parliament did think, that your High-
nefs was never able to provide for doing Juftice to
the Nation for the prefent, nor that Peace (hould
be maintained in the Nation for the future, unlefs
your Highnefs do accept of this Title. National
Juftice does confift in two Things; that you do
right to the People, with refpecl: to their juft Privi-
leges in relation to the Parliament; that you do right
to the People in refpect to their juft Rights, accord-
ing to the Law of the Land. Sir, the Nations
Rights in Parliament can never be done to the Peo-
ple, unlefs the Parliament hath it's antient Rights
in relation to the Government: And they can never
have their Right in relation to the Law, unlefs the
Laws have their antient Right in relation to the Go-
vernors.
• Sir, the Reafon why the Parliament doth now
offer this Advice, as I conceive, is this: They did
F 3 confider.
86 The Parliamentary HISTORY,
Inter-regnum. conflder the Cafe of David, when the Elders of
Ifrael, and the People, did covenant with him at
Hebron. The Remonftrance offered to your High-
nefs is the Covenant of the Three Nations, both for
Spiritual and Civil Liberties. If there was a proper
Time to make D.avid King, when they covenanted
with him at Hebron, it is now a proper Time for
you to accept this Title, when the Parliament hath
brought this with a Covenant for the Three Na-
tions, that relates both to their Civil and Spiritual
Liberties.'
The Lord Brogkill™ took up the Argument after
Mr. Lijle.
\AI& Bnglitt. ' Sir, I can add fp little to what hath been al-
ready fpoken, that were it not in Obedience to
Command, I fhould with much more Satisfaction
be filent than now fpeak; but, being under an Obli-
gation I muft not violate, I (hall, in Obedience
thereto, prefume to lay my poor Thoughts before
you : And firft I fhall take the Boldnefs to fay, I
believe it is a Thing impoflible for any to particula-
rize every individual Reafon which invites a Parlia-
ment to pafs any Vote ; for the Parliament is a Bo-
dy confifting of many Members, and all of them
relifli thofe Arguments and Reafonings which are
moft confonant to every Man's Apprehenfion ; in
which there is fo great Variety, that though when
a Vote is pafled, we may conclude that Vote is the
Senfe of the Houfe, yet we cannot fay, that thefe,
and none but thefe, Reafons produced that Refult.
jonly mention this, Sir, that whatever 1 fhall fpeak
may be confidered. by you, but as my poor Appre-
henfion of what, in fome Degree, might have con-
tributed to move the Parliament to petition and ad-
vife your Highnefs to affume the Title and Office of
King : For it would be too high a Prefumption in
#ny Member, efpecially in me above any, to dare to
aver, That what I fhould now fay, did alone invite
the
«". Afterwards Earl of Orrery.
Of ENGLAND. 87
the Parliament to give your Highncfs that Coun- Inter-regnum.
fcl.
' Having thus humbly premifed what I held my
felf obliged unto in Duty, I fhall now proceed to
acquaint you what, in my weak Judgment, did in
fome Meafure move the Parliament to do what they
have done.
1. « I humbly conceive, that the Title of King.
is that which the Law takes Notice of as the Title
of Supreme Magiftrate, and no other ; and that the
old Foundations that are good, are better than any
new ones, tho' equally good in their own Nature.
What is confirmed by Time and Experience, car-
ries along with it the beft Trial, and the moft fatif-
fa (Story Stamp and Authority.
2. ' It was confidered too, That it was much
better that the Supreme Magiftrate fhould be fitted
to the Laws that are in Being, than that thofe Laws
ihould be fitted unto him.
3. ' The People legally aflembled in Parliament,
having confidered what Title was beft for the Su-
preme Magiftrate, did, after a folemn Debate there-
of, pitch upon that of King • it being that by which
the People knew their Duty to him, and he the Du-
ty of his Office towards them.
4. « There is hardly any who own Government
at all in thefe Nations, but think themfelves obliged
to obey the old Laws, or thofe which your High-
nefs and the Parliament (hall enact : So that, if the
Supreme Magiftrate of thefe Three Nations be in-
titled King) all thofe who reverence the old Laws,
will obediently and chearfully accept of him, as that
which is fettled upon the Eftabliftiment they own ;
and all that own this prefent Authority will do the
like, becaufc grafted by it ; whereby none can reft
unfatisfied that think it a Duty to obey former Au-
thorities, or the prefent.
5. ' The former Authorities knew no Supreme
Magiftrate, but by the Title of King; and this pre-
fent Authority defires to know him by no other ;
which if refufed, might it not too much heighten
pur Enemies, who may bouHter up their faint Hopes
with
88 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. with faying to one another, and to thofe which af-
them, « That their Chief is not only under that
Title which all paft Parliaments have approved,
but under that Title which even this Parliament
does approve of likewife; whereas our Head is not
known by the former Laws, and has refufed to be
known by that Application which even the Parlia-
ment, that he himfelf hath called, doth defire to
* know him by ?'
6. * By your Highnefs bearing the Title of King,
all thofe that obey and ferve you, are fecured by a
Law made long before any of our Differences had a
Being, in u. Henry VII. whereby a full Provifion
is made for the Safe^ of thofe that {hall ferve who-
ever is King: JTis oy that Law that hitherto our
Enemies have pleaded Indemnity ; and by your af-
fuming what is now defired, that Law, which hi-
therto they pretended for their Difobedience, ties
them, even by their own Profeflion and Principles,
to Obedience: And I hope the taking off all Pre-
tences from fo numerous a Party, may not be a
Thing unworthy of Confideration : That Law feems
very rational; for it doth not provide for any parti-
cular Family or Perfon, but for the Peace and Safety
of the People, by obeying whoever is in that Of-
fice, and bears that Title. The End of all Go-
vernment is to give the People Juftice and Safety j
and the beft Means to obtain that End, is to fettle
a Supreme Magiftrate. It would therefore feem ir-
rational, that the People, having obtained the End,
fhould decline that End only, to follow the Means
which are but conducing to that End j fo that if the
Title and Office of Kin? be veiled in your High-
nefs, and if thereby the People enjoy their Rights,
and Peace, it would be little lefs than Madnefs for
3ny of them to caft off thofe Bleflings, only in order
to obtain the fame End under another Perfon.
7. ' There is, at prefent, but a Divorce between,
{he pretended King; and the Imperial Crown of thefe
Nations ; and we know that rerfons divorced may
marry again j but if the Perfon be married to ano-
ther,
Of ENGLAND. 89
ther, it cuts off all Hopes. Thefe may be fome of intCr.regnum.
the Reafons which invited the Parliament to make 1657.
that Delire, and give that Advice, to your High- t— — y— — '
nefs to aflume the Title of King. There is another, ' APr'^
and a very ftrong one, which is, That they now
have actually given that Advice ; and the Advices
of Parliaments are Things which always ought, and
therefore I am confident will, carry with them very
great Force and Authority : Nor doth this Advice
come lingly, but accompanied with many other ex-
cellent Things, in reference to our Civil and Spiri-
tual Liberties, to which your Highnefs hath borne
a juft and fignal Teftimony. It is alfo a Parlia-
ment, who have given unqueftionable Proofs of their
Affection to your Highnefs ; and who, if liftened to
in this Particular, will be thereby encouraged to give
you more.'
April 17. The Lord Commiflioner IVkitlocke re- The Lord Pro-
ported to the Houfe the foregoing Conference withteftor <3e'i''« yet
the Lord Protector; and that his Highnefs declared cf"erto
the Committee's Reafons to be fo weighty as to re-
quire mature Deliberation ; that therefore he could
not then come to a final Refolution as to the Ac-
ceptance or Non-acceptance of the Title propofed
to him ; though he feemed, to the Committee, to
decline it.
In confequence of this Report, the Houfe ad-
journed for three Days, to give Time for the Com-
mittee to wait upon the Protector again j but his
Jiighnefs happening to be ficlc the very Day they
waited upon him, it was not till the 2Oth that they
were admitted to an Audience, which was then put
off to the next Day ; when, as the Journals inform
MS, he fpoke fomething to them as to what had beenmi<h °«ar'<»»
before offered, and gave them a Paper containing ™« withT
feveral Scruples as to the Matter of their Petition Committee.
and Advice. This Paper it is not in our Power
to fupply ; but the Want of it is the lefs to be re-
gretted, as moft of the Protector's Objections feem
to be cited, and anfwered, in the following Argu-
ments of the Committee.— We flill find that the
prin-
9O The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. principal Objection was the Title of King; againft
1657.
Lord Chief Ju-
ftice Glynne.
which Cromwell having urged, ' That all the good
* Purpofes of Government might be as fully anfwer-
' ed under that of Prate ftorj the Lord Chief Juftice
Glynne infifted, « That the Name and Office of a
King was eflential to the Settlement of the Nation,
for the following Reaforis :
1. ' Becaufe it is known to the Law; his Duty
is known in reference to the People, and the
People's Duty known in reference to hini : This
Cannot be tranfmitted to another Name without
much Labour and great Hazard, if it may at all.
To go by Individuals, and reckon up all the Du-
ties and Powers that a King, by our Laws, hath in
reference to his Truft towards the People, and the
Duty of the People towards him, is a Work of fo
great Labour, that it would require Months, yea
Years, if not Ages.
2. ' To apply its Relative, tails quails ^ would
introduce thefe Difficulties : It would be a new
Thing : How it would prove is but guefs'd at ; and
it is the Foundation Stone ; 'tis unfafe to put it to
a Hazard when you have a fafe one. Thofe Cer-
tainties and Securities that accompany the Title of
King, are incident by the antient Laws and Cuftoms
of the Nation; and that which the other Office can
have, are introduclive, and given him de nova from
this Parliament, as their antient Inheritance who
can claim but a new Title of Purchafe.
3. * The People and your Highnefs lofe the beft
Title, both to their Liberty and your Rights, which
Is the Law, Antient Cuftom, and Ufage, and claim
5t only upon the Strength of the Parliament; but if
you take it as a King^ you have the Strength of both.
' 4. * If you a flu me any other Name, and have the
Rights given you by Parliament, it may feem as if
the People had loft their antient Rights, and had
Need of new ones to be created by this Parlia-
ment.
5. ' The AfTumption of the Title of King, is,
without Need of any other Authority, fufficient to
protect the People, and bind them to obey you.
Of ENGLAND. 91
6. ' If you fhould take the Name of Protetlor^ or
any other new Title, whatfoevcr Authority is applied
thereto, is but grafting upon a Stock that is new, and
doubtful whether it will bear the Fruits well, and
ftill liable to former Objections without Doors.
7. « If you take the Title of King, the Worft-
affe&ed cannot object againft your Authority, or at
all againft the Parliament as the Donor.'
..-.A)
The Lord Chief Juftice Glynne having thus brief-
ly, but clofely, fpoke to the Matter, Mr. Lenthall
proceeded :
* Sir, It is certain that all Governments in them- Mr. LtatLa&
felvcs may be good, for none is malum in je ; but
the Rule that hath always been obferved, is, Tha{
the moft neceflary and prudent Courfe to govern a
Nation, muft be taken from that Proportion which
is moft fuitable to the Nature and Difpofition of the
People that are governed : If this be the general
Rule always in the World, we may well draw this
Argument, both from an abfolute Neceflity, and
ex Necejfitate Confequentis alfo. The Chief Gover-
nor, in a fettled Government, being obliged to do
for the Good of his People, not only quod bonum*
fed quod optimum ; then the Confide ration that
will follow properly here, will be, Whether the
Name of King, which in the Judgment of the Law,
implies the Office, be not the beft Government for
the People's Safety, both ex NeceJJitate Caufa:, et ex
NeccJJitate Confequentis. To explain this, it muft
be premifed, that when we fpeak of a King, we
muft take the Difference between the Perfon digni^
fied with the Name, and the Name itfelf ; for this
muft be taken for a fuie Ground, that as the Word
King is a Name, which the Law doth look upon,
fo it hath its proper Bafts and Foundation upon the
Law ; and is as antient as the Law itfelf. Now,
the Perfon of the King is a Name that hath its
Dignity and Foundation from the Word King, as
€x Neceffitate Confequentis ; becaufe, in Reafon, 4
Man muft be ufed to exercifc that Authority which
proceeds from that Name,
« Thefe
gz ¥he Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. * Thefe Things being very clear, by the Funda-
1657. mental Grounds of the Law, if then we examine
the Foundation of Things according to the Rules
of the Law, it is manifeft that the Name of King,
Laws, Rights, Properties, and Liberties of the
People, and alfo Parliaments themfelves, have but
one Foundation; which is Original or Prefcription,
being antient Cuftoms, or Cuftorns Time out of
Mind : So that, in the Judgment of the Law, thefe
three, viz. King, Law, and Parliaments, are the
Parts of the Government of this Nation, which,
having their Bafis and Foundation from Prefcrip-
tion, conftitute the Form of it amongft us ; not a
Form, in the vulgar Acceptation of the Word Form ;
but it is the Form of Government fettled in this
Nation, and of the EfTence of it. Then to me
it feems impofiible, that any Act of Parliament,
without the Deflrudlion of the P.flential Part of the
Government, can place that Office in another
Name, (be it what it will) which naturally wants
the Foundation and Ground of that Power and Of-
fice which that Name imports.
1. ' Becaufe the Alteration deftroys the Founda-
tion, which is Prefcription ; and annexes to it a
Name that the Law of the Land hath no Acquaint-
ance with.
2. ' It fets all Laws, Liberties, and what is dear
to us, upon a new Foundation, as to the People ;
for whatfoever is created by an Act, cannot have
Life and Authority but from that Act, and (hall ne-
ver look back to its firft original Conftitution. It
takes from the People the Rules and Grounds which
they have known by Experience; and fends them
to feek them in a Power of which no Wit of Man
can fuddenly apprehend the Bounds and Limits,
•when fo many Doubts may arife, even in the old
Foundation, which Experience and Time hath fo
excellently refined.
' From thefe Grounds I may fafely fay, That
there never was but one King in England from the
firft Foundation of Regal Power, and can fafely
Conclude
Of E N G L A N D. 93
conclude there will never be more ; although there
have been many, and more I hope there will be,
whofe Perfons exercife that Office : For the Law
doth positively affirm, "That the King never dies :
Indeed, the Perfon, like that of other Men, dies j but
the Name and Thing hath a kind of Immortality,
if we confidcr the Connexion of the Word with the
Perfon that is inverted with that Namej who is not
faid to die, but to demife, which is to depofite and
to lay up the Name and Title of King.
' The common Ground is taken from the Accef-
fion of the Office and Dignity to the Perfon ; but
the tiue Ground is the Name; and the Office is be-
come Part of the Law, which mould punifh the Of-
fences that are committed againft it j which proves
both the Neceffity of the Name, and the necef-
fary Relation there is between the Name and the
Law ; and it is a necefiary Deduction, that the
Name of King is the Thing wherein the Office and
Power is placed j and therefore it is not practicable,
by any Statute, or Act of Parliament, to divide the
Power and Office from the Name, and transfer that
Power without the Name : The Word King hath
fuch eflential Reference to the Law, that it never
looks to the Perfon, to make that the Ground of
Eflence ; if it had but the Name, the Law was fa-
tisfied ; and therefore it never examined the Right
of the Perfon, how he became invefted with the
Power ; but, dt Faflo, whether he were fo or not ;
and if fo, whether de Fatla^ or de Jure, it hath the
fame Influence upon the People's Rights, and the
fame Advantages to the Chief Governor.
4 There is alfo another Reafon why the Office
cannot be annex'd to another Name, either by Act
of Parliament, or otherwife; for in any other Name
you muft fuppofe the Office, the King ; fo that any
other Name is but a Fiction in refpect of the right
Name ; and it would be very dangerous both to our
Laws and Properties, to lay the Bafis and Founda-
tion upon a Fiction ; which was a Reafon why fome
Judges forbore to act upon the Name of Cu/lodes
Li-
94 7&? Parliamentary HISTORY
Libertatis Angiice, &c. a and the fame Reafon holds
upon any other Name. Mr Lenthall alfo further
T'T ~~ urged, ' That this Petition and Advice was Matter
of Right, not of Grace, which was never denied by
any Prince in this Nation, nor could be, becaufe
there was an Obligation in all Cafes to do Right ;
and this Obligation was upon the Proteflor, whilft
he took upon him the Chief Magiftracy.'
Colonel Philip Jones fpoke next to this EfFecT: :
May it pleafe your Highnefs,
Od. Jsnes. < I am unwilling to fpend much Time in fpeaking
after thofe two learned and honourable Perfons that
fpake latt ; and therefore {hall endeavour, in what
I have to offer to thofe Doubts you were pleafed to
make when this Committee had the Honour laft to
attend you, to be as brief as may be.
' Your Highnefs was pleafed then to fay, e That
* though the Arguments brought in Favour of the
* Title of King, in the Petition prefented to you by
' the Parliament, were weighty ; yet, in your an-
* fwering them, you muft not grant them to be ne-
' ceflary Conclufions; but take them as having much.
' of Conveniency and Probability towards a Conclu-
' fion; for if an Expedient could be found, they
* were not then neceflary.' And you was pleafed to
tell us, « That tho' King/hip be not a Title, but
* an Office interwoven in our Laws, yet it is not fo
' Ratione Nominis, but from what it fignifies ; that
* being a Name of Office plainly implying the Su-
* preme Magiftracy : And therefore whatever Name
* it be, wherein the Supreme Magiftracy refides, the
" Signification will give it to the Thing;, and not to
' the Name; and feeing this Title had a Commence-
* ment, and aifo hath been unfix'd, why might not a
' new one now commence, and be now fix'd by the
' Le-
a The Names of the Judges, who refufed to aft as fuch, under
the Authority of the new Commonwealth, were ^Trevor, Bacon,
Crefif/J, itktns, Br'<: • ne and Btdingfield. See the Declaration
of the CoKtncm en tbft Qccafion, in tur Nines eentb Felume, p. 7.
Of E N G L A N D. 95
r Legiflative Authority; and thereby be made to run Inter-regmnu.
' through the Law, as well as the Title of King ? l6S7-
* From whence you did infer that this Title is not *"-7v^T"1'
6 neceflary.' But, Sir, if the Intention of the Par-
liament, in this their humble Addrefs to you, be
confidered, viz. That it is a Settlement, it would
be likewife to be confidered, whether a new Name
will not be found, in this Cafe, to make a new Of-
fice alfo ; and whether then the Novelty thereof
will not hazard, if not fruftrate, that great End of
Settlement; the Antiquity, and Trial, of Laws, be-
ing that which doth beget the greateft Reverence
and Satisfaction of them in the People.
' Now that the Change of the Name makes it a
new Office, will appear, both in refpecT: of his Au-
thority who bears the Office, and in refpecT: of the
People's Obligation in Matter of Obedience to that
new Officer : For, by the antient Law, he cannot
claim Subjection from them, nor can the People
thereby claim Protection from him ; the Strength
then of the Settlement, and of their Rights and Li-
berties, as far as they relate to this new Supreme
Magiftracy, will reft upon a new and untried Con-
ftitution ; and his Authority, upon the fame Foun-
dation. TheWifdom of our Anceftors, even in lefler ,
Matters, when they introduced a new Law, made
it, for the moft Part, a Probationer only; and I
may humbly fay, we have now, fome Years, been
making Probationaries of new Governments; there-
fore the Parliament, finding the People not yet fix'd
and reconciled to any of them, return to that which,
by long Experience and Cuftom, hath been found to
fuit with their Minds and Rights ; the People ha-
ving not the fame Satisfaction nor Acquiefcence in
any newThing, as they have in long-approv'd Laws
and Cuftoms ; fince a new Thing is in itfelf uncer-
tain, not only whether it will prove good or no, but
alfo in this Cafe, in refpedl that one main Property
of the Settlement, being a co-ordinate Power, de-
pends upon it ; and it will be1 fubjed to be contro-
verted whether one Co-ordinate is well put by ano-
ther,
g6 The Parliamentary
Inter. regnum. ther, or may not, by the like Power that fets it
1657. tip, be pulled down again; which cannot but leave
%•>! ••%••• «J Men's Minds as dubious of a Settlement as ever,
April, Things difputable naturally carrying Unfetdement
with them.
' Time and Experience hath grafted the Name
and Office of King in the Minds of the People; and
that, as I faid already, begets Reverence and Satif-
faction in their Minds. Alfo, they were the Ex-
orbitances of the Office, which, in a great Meafure,
this Petition provides againft, that was complained
of, and not the Office nor Name, which are found-
ed upon the antient Laws : The altering of either
alters the Conftitution, and lays it upon a Founda-
tion lefs certain, and eafier to be fhaken ; and there-
fore, to take up the Office without the Title, will
be to take it up with all the Objections of Scandal
or otherwife it is faid to be liable to ; and at the fame
Time to want the Support of the antient Laws it
carries with it, and the Advantage of fatisfying and
fettling the Minds of fuch of the People of thefe Na-
tions, as, by the Confideration of the Novelty, and
what in this Cafe attends it, will otherwife reft
doubtful and unfettled.
' Thefe are fome of the Grounds I obferved in
the Debate of the Parliament, to induce them to
judge this Title not only expedient, but, in refpedt
of a Settlement, neceflary.'
* Your Highnefs was pleafed to object alfo, e The
4 Diflfatisfaction of good Men, which you judged, in
c Things indifferent, were to be confidered :' They
are fo; and it hath been judged by the Parliament,
who (hewed great Tendernefs in that Kind, and I
hope ever will : But in this Matter they are found,
by the Parliament, not to be indifferent, but necef-
fary for the Settlement of thefe Nations ; and they
hoped that, in thofe Things wherein good People
have not already been fatisfied, they will calmly en-
deavour for Satisfaction; and that when the Matter
of this Petition comes to be more public, they will
find fuch Care and Provifion made for good Men,
and
Of ENGLAND. 97
and good Things, that will certainly give them Sa- Interregnum;
tisfaction. I think I may fafely fay, fuch a pofitive
Provifion for their Liberties and Encouragement,
hath not been found out under any former Kingy
nor any other Form of Government, to which your
Highnefs hath been pleafed yourfelf to give that Te-
flimony ; fo that it is not to Kingfhip alone, as for-
merly, that the Parliament advifes your Highnefs,
but to the Office, with fuch and fuch a Provifion
made for the Public Intereft : And if then your
Highnefs, of whofe Faithfulnefs to their Intereft
good People have received fuch ample Teftimony,
will be pleafed to confent to this Petition of the
Parliament, (an Authority always of no fmall Efteern
and Reverence with the beft Men) I doubt not but,
when it is done, they will chearfully acquiefce, tho*
while it is doing they may have Scruples.
« As for that * of Providence laying afide the Ti-
* tie,' I think the Argument hence will be as cogent
againft the Office itfelf, and againft Government by
a Single Perfon under any Tide ; the Acts of Par-
liament mentioned, are as exprefly againft the one
as the other ; and therefore the Exercife of the Su-
preme Power by a Single Perfon, under any Title, is
as much a Contradiction of Providence and of thefe
Acts of Parliament, as the Exercife thereof under
the Title of a King : But certainly the laying afide
of a Thing de Fafto, though indeed it be an Act of
Providence, yet it cannot t>e conftrued that the In-
tendment of that Providence is finally to lay it afide,
never to be re-afTumed again. The Confequences
of fuch a Pofition are many, and may be dangerous 5
for what is there, by that Rule, which is not to be
laid afide ?
* I now remember an Objection, made by your
Highnefs in another Place, which I had almoft for-
got ; < That we did enjoy our Laws, and that Ju-
* ftice was freely adminiftred, under feveral Changes
' and Titles j as under that of the Keepers of the Li-
« berty ^England, and that of Prottftor> the Title
« your Hiphnefs now bears.' To which I humbly
anfvver, That, if fo, Thanks are rather to be given
VOL, XXI. G to
98 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
inter- regnum. to the Perfons into whofe Hands the Power fell, than
^ — 5— _j to the Conftitutions. However, I crave Leave to
April. fay tn's> That Changes imply not a Settlement ;
and, fince Providence has led us from our old Con-
ftitution, we have in a few Years had four or five
Changes; and that thefe Changes have not been ac-
companied with more Hazard, is a Matter of Praife
to the Lord, and of Commendation to the Powers
we have been under : But if one Providence hath
laid afide King/hip, another leads it in, and calls
upon you to take it up. And it is to me a remark-
able Thing, that Providence hath caft-it under fuch
Conftitutions and Laws, as that, when we have
thrown out the Tyrant that opprefTed us in our Spi-
ritual and Civil Rights, we can, by our antient
Laws, graft another Perfon in, that may be a fit In-
ftrument to preferve both; who (as the learned Per-
fon that fpoke laft faid) may make up, as it were,
but one King thefe five hundred Years, the Law not
admitting an Inter-regnum: From whence I infer,
That as it was not the End or Defign of our War
that led us, (as appears by fix or feven Declarations of
the Parliament, one whereof was ordered to be read
in all Churches) fo neither did Providence lead us to
lay afide either the Name or Office, but only that
Family which opprefied us. And fince all Men's
Lives and Liberties depend on this Settlement, it is
iieceflary to lay it on the ftrongeft Foundation that
may be.
* And ' as for that of Safety,' it is not for me to
fpeak much to it; but certainly it is to be hoped,
that as a Parliament advifes your Highnefs toThings
honeft and lawful, and by them judged neceflary for
a good Settlement, and therein takes Care and pro-
vides for our Rights as Men and Chriftians, and for
your Highnefs's Safety, all Dangers (by God's Blef-
fing upon your Highnefs's Wifdom, back'd with
fuch an Authority, and an Army under the Conduct
of fo many religious and faithful Perfons, fo well
principled to the Obedience of lawful Powers) may
be
Q/* ENGLAND. 99
be prevented. And therefore I humbly hope thaf Inter-regnum.
God will incline your Highnefs to grant the Petition
and Advice of the Parliament.'
Colonel Jones having done, Sir Richard Onflow Sir Ricbard On-
next canvafs'd the Argument with the Protestor j/k»«
chiefly by way of urging Cromwell\ Objections, and
making Replies to them : And as to the firft, ' That
* the Title of King was the Name of an Office, and
' any other Name, which might imply the Supreme
* Magiltrate, had the fame Signification ; and there-
* fore no Neceffity of the Name ;' he ani vvered,
' That every Office ought to have a Name adequate
to the faid Office ; and no other Name than King
could be fuitable, and comprehenfive enough to con-
tain in it the Common Good to all Intents and Pur-
pofes.
* That it was a Rule, that the Kings of England
could not alter the Laws of England, Ratione No-
minis \ but were bound to govern according to the
Laws of England; and for any other Name, there
was no Obligation lay upon it.
* That the very Title is neceflary, was declared
in the Qth Year of Edward the Fourth, in the great
Controverfy betwixt him and Henry the Sixth, when
tome times one was in PofTeffion, and then the other:
'That it was neceflary the Realm fhould have a King,
under whom the Laws might be maintained and
holden ; for every A&ion done by the King in Pof-
feffion was valid and good, becaufe it was his Jurif-
diction Royal ; fo like wife in the ift of Henry the
Seventh, and alfb in the 3d, the fame Opinion was
held and declared, That a King, de Faffo, was ne-
ceflary ; and, in all Alterations of Perfons and Fa-
milies, yet our Anceftors always retained the Title
and the Name.
* That there was a Prius and a Primum : Ano-
ther Name might, in Order and Degree, be firft;.
that is, before other Men; but a King was Primum,
the rirft Name, that had its Beginning with our
Laws.
G 2 « That
loo *rhe Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. « That the Cuftoms of England were the Laws
*6S7. of England* as well as our Statute Laws : That the
l— *-v— •"•J Title of King and Cujlom were Twins born toge-
ApriJ' ther, and had had Continuance together; and there-
fore to join Proteflor^ of which they knew the Date,
with Cuftom, of which no Memory could fpeak, was
a Kind of Contradiction to the Original.
' That then there muft be an introdu&ive Law,
becaufe Proteftor was a new Name which our Law
did not yet know : That, now, to ingraft a young
Scion upon an old Stock, it would never grow; but
there muft be an Eradication of the old Root, and
a new Plantation muft be made; all the old Cuf-
toms muft be put into pofitive Laws ; which
would be a Work of much Time and great Diffi-
culty.
* That the Title of King was fo incorporated and
conjoined with our Cujloms, that it did very much
concern the People of England to have them upheld ;
and then there was a Rule, SQuesque Res in Con-
junRione, pro Bono Conjunftionis ; that every Thing
in Conjundtion ought to be done for the Good and
Benefit of the Conjunction; and that, if it were for
the Advantage of the Single Perfon and the People,
k brought him in Mind of another Rule his old Ma-
AerTuJly taught him, Communis Utilitatis Dereliflio
contra Naturam ejl ; it was not natural to decline
that which was for a common Benefit and Advan-
tage: And therefore he fhould fay but this as to the
Title, That as the Patriarch Jacob joined together,
in his Bleffing upon Judah, the Law- giver and the
Scepter, fo the Parliament of the Three Nations
delired to preferve the Title of King in and upon the
Law.
' As to the fecond Objection his Highnefs was
pleafed to draw from Providence, * that had brought
* them to that Place through much Darknefs, and
' had feemed to lay the Title of King afide :'
' He replied, ' That it became all Men to ac-
knowledge the Actings of the Providence and Power
of God, for bringing to pafs whatfoerer he had de-
termined
Of E N G L A N D. 101
tcrmined in the World; and that it was the mighty
and wife Hand of Providence which triumph'd over
Nations, and triumph'd and trod down all Oppofi-
tions : That yet his Highnefs had obferved it was
not a Rule to walk by without the Word ; the Rea-
fon, the Caufes, were hidden in the fecret Councils
of God's Will : That we might fee, in the Reve-
lations, the Book was fealed with feven Seals, that
we might read what was paft, becaufe written on
the Outfide of a Book ; but what was to come we
could not read ; and we ought not to limit Provi-
dence, nor could we bound it with a Ne plus ultra.
« In Anfwer to the third Objection, « That this
6 State had, by Providence, receiv'd feveral Changes,
* particularly two great ones, from the former Con-r
* ftitution ; that of the Keepers of the Liberty of
* England^ and the prefent Government under the
* Title of ProtsElor ; and that the firft feemed to be
« the Refult of feven Years War againft the Title
* and the Family :'
' He argued, ' That it muft be confefled it proved
the Event of feven Years War, but the Reafons of
the War did not lead to it, for the War was for the
King and Parliament ; for the Office, but againft
the rerfon, againft the Exorbitancy and Irregula-
rities of his Government ; but it was Providence
that took away, at that Time, both the Office and
the Family :
' That it was alfo Providence that altered it from
that of a Republic to this of a Protettor ; that A6t
being as much againft a Proteftor as a King, for it
was againft a Single Perfon :
' And might not this Parliament, by the fame
Series of Providence, as well fet up Kingly Govern-
ment, as that Parliament took it away, having alfo
the fame Power they had ?
« Then for a fourth Objection, « Why his High-
* ncl's would not accept of the Title, becaufe of the
* Diilatisfadion many Perfons, who had been inftru-
* mental in carrying on the Work, had againft that
* Tide ;'
G3 • His
Inter-regnum.
1657.
' April.
1 02 The Parliamentary HISTORY
* His Anfwer was, ' That in every Change of
Government there was, and ftill would be, Perfons
unfatisfied, becaufe Men were of mix'd Irterefts,
and different Judgments. Upon the Change to a
Republic, thofe that conceived the Monarchical
Government beft, were unfatisfied : But all ought to
fubmit, and be concluded by the Judgment of a
Parliament.'
' That his Highnefs was pleafed to fay, * That
neither himfelf, nor thofe that tendered to him the
Inftrument, were Authors of the firft Change, but
it was the Long ^Parliament ; fo that he might
conclude they were not engaged for the Govern-
ment by a King :'
' He replied, l That it had been indeed the Ho-
nour of the Soldiery, that, in all thefe Changes,
they had ftill followed Providence, and had acqui-
efced ; acting and living in practical Conformity ;
but he wiflied they would now be fatisfied, for their
Love-fhke to them, and their Labours for them :
That high fhould his Reward be in Heaven, and
happy his Remembrance on Earth, that would be
the Means of fuch an Accord ; but to fatisfy all
Men, fo divided as they were, .would be no lefs
than a Wonder : That he fhould repeat a Parable,
in Ezekiel xxxvii, 16. where the Lord faid to the
Prophet, Take two Sticks, write upon one Stick for
Judah and the Children cf Ifrael'j Companions ; and
take the other Stick^ and write upon it for Jofcph,
the Stick of Ephraim, and all the Houje of JfraelV
Companions ; and join thefe two Sticks in one Stick ,
and they Jhall become one in thy Hand ; thefe are the
two Nations of Ifrael and Judah, two diftant and
different Names, but they foall come under one Kingy
and David /hall be their King: Thus they were
united.'
« As to the laft Objeaion, « That Juftice had
* been as well adminiftered, and as free from Solli-
* citations, under thefe Changes, as before :'
* He told the Protector, That his Highnefs was
pleafed to fay, * He undertook that Charge to prefei ve
them
Of E N G L A N D. 103
them from Confufion,' which indeed was the word Inter- regnum.
of Evils ; and the fame Reafon might prevail with l6S7-
Judges, and other Magiftrates, to execute Juftice, *~J'^Vr^~"
and give to Men their Rights, which was fo defi-
rable to all Men, and of abfolute Neceflity.
' That Juttice might be compared to the Water
in the Spring ; if kept from its Natural Channel, it
would break its Way through the Bowels of the
Earth : That Nature fometimes might fuffer Vio-
lence : That there was a Peace in a Cedution of
War ; and there was a Peace that, in regard of the
Diftra6tions, might be termed but an intermitting
Peace ; for his Highnefs was pleafed to acknow-
ledge, that the People called for a Settlement j from
which, under Favour, he might infer, that, as yet,
there was no Settlement fo well made, as to be ac-
counted perfect and good.
' That his Highnefs was pleafed to declare, * He
* had rather take a Title from this Parliament,
« than any other Title from any other Place, or
' without it.'
« Upon which he obferved, That the Parliament
of England was the Womb of the Commonwealth ;
;md in that Womb there had been a Conception and
Shape, Proportion and Form, and Life and Growth,
as far as the Navel could nouriih ; that there had
been alfo a Delivery, and a Name given; that there
had been Conceptu conceptus, Partus et Opus j and
that it had been a great Work to bring us to this
Delivery : That it was therefore the humble Advice
of the Parliament, That his Highnefs would be
pleafed to make it fpeak the Englijh Tongue.
The Lord Commiflioner Fiennes, next, addrefs'd Mr. F/c«wi.
himfelf to the Proteclor to this EffecT:: ' Your
Highnefs, the other Day, laid down, as a Ground
of your enfuing Difcourfe, this Pofition, * That
* there was no Neceffity of the Name and Title of
* KingS upon which Foundation your Highnefs
feemed to build your Arguments and Reafons of
DiflatLs faction,
« As
104 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regoum, « As to that Name and Title, and that in fuch
l657- Sort as the Matter is now circumftantiated and ftated
^^~*~~' by your Highnefs, there is a Neceffity either in the
Affirmative or Negative ; if it be not neceflary that
the Name be affumed, it is of Neceffity to be de-
clined ; and if no Neceffity to decline it, then there
is a Neceffity to aflume it: For although the Nature
of the Thing itfelf is fuch as, poffibly, may admit
a Latitude of Argument upon the Point of Expedi-
ency and Conveniency ; and that we are not (hut
up under an abfolute Neceffity either the one Way
or the other; yet the Parliament having given their
Judgment upon it, and their Advice to your High-
hefs in it, your Highnefs feems to admit that there
lies a Kind of Neceffity upon you to affume it, if
there be not a Neceffity to wave it : For you will
jiot, without Neceffity, decline the Advice of the
Parliament, having faid, ' That you fhould rather
* chufe any Name which they ftiould fix, than any
' Name whatfoever without them.' Then it im-
ports thus much, That you will not put Expediency
and Conveniency, but only Neceffity, in Balance
with their Judgment, who are the proper Judges
of Things of that Nature, and what is moft expe-
dient and convenient therein for the Three Nations
which they reprefent : And it is certain there is a
Kind of Impoffibility, at once, to enumerate all
particular Cafes and Circumftances, wherein the
Chief Magiftrate (hall, or (hall not, have Power or
Right ; which has been the Work of many Hun-
dreds of Years, whereby the Laws are fitted, in all
Particulars, to the Name and Title of King; but to
the Name of Proteftor^ or any new Name, either
all Cafes and Circumftances muft, by particular
^Enumeration, be applied ; or it muft be left, at leaft
in what is not enumerated, boundlefs and lawlefs,
which it fhould not be ; or elfe, to fuit a particular
Enumeration, there muft be a general Claufe, That
in all Things, not particularly fpecified, they fhail
be defined by the Laws and Rights belonging to the
Name of King. Then the Queftion will be meerly
jiominal
Of E N G L A N D. 105
nominal, and confequcntly not to be put in Balance inter-rcjnum.
with the Judgment of Parliament: Befides, the De- 1657.
finition being identically the very fame, and no Dif- *— -v~*
ference but only that of a new Name ; this, in the A^
Judgment of divers wife Men, may draw after it fuch
a Confequence as the putting of old Wine into a new
Bottle, which may hazard the Lofs of the Thing,
and of the Laws and Liberties of the Nation, which
are defired to be preferved thereby.
' Magiftracy is, certainly, an Ordinance of God
primarily, yet particular Forms of Magiftracy and
Government, and much more the Circumftances of
thofe Forms, as Names, Titles, and the like, are
firft Ordinances of Men, before they are Ordinances
of God : Firft, Man fets his Stamp upon them, and
then God alfo fets his Imprefs upon them ; and
therefore, though they be but Ordinances of Men,
yet the Apoftle faith, We are to fubmit unto them
for the Lord's Sake, whether to the King as Supreme*
or unto Governors, as thofe that are fent by htm ;
and what Peter calls Ordinances of Men, Paul calls
Ordinances of God; and yet they are to be obey'd,
not only for Fear, but alfo for Confcience Sake;
fo that in thefe Forms of Government Men may do
as they will, as in other Contracts, wherein it is
free for them to contract or not to contract, or to
make their Covenants this Way or another ; but
when they have made them they muft keep them,
for then God's Seal is upon them.
' Now, as to the Matter in Queftion, it is clear,
that the unqueftionable Stamp of human Authority,
and the Ordinance of Man in thefe Nations, hath
conjoined the Office and Name of King for many
hundred Years together : And, if it was waved and
laid afide of late Years, it is now fet up again by as
pood an Authority, and a fuller Reprefentative of
the Three Nations ; and though it be only by Peti-
tion to your Highnefs, yet it is in fome Sort a Peti-
tion of Right: tor the People of thefe Nations have
an Intereft in their Government and Laws, where-
of this was amongft the Fundamentals, as well as
*n their Liberties and Lands 3 and though particu-
lar
io6 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. lar Perfons may have forfeited their Intereft in the
l6S7- Government, yet I do not know that the Nations
c""""Yr"*'' have forfeited their Intereft therein.
* If this Point (hall feem to be driven too far, yet
it is clear that if this Office, under the Name and
Title of King) be moft known, and moft fuitable
to the Laws of thefe Nations, moft agreeable to the
Defires and Difpofitions of the People, and moft
likely to maintain Quiet and Peace in the Nations
with Juftice and Liberty, (which are the great Ends
of Government, and of all Forms and Names there-
in) as in the Judgment of the Parliament it is:
Then, as it is the Duty of the Parliament to advife
it, fo doth it thereby lay an Obligation upon your
Highnefs to accept it, as a necefTary Medium to at-
tain thofe Ends.
' And whereas your Highnefs is pleafed to fay,
* This Medium is not neceflary, becaufe the Ends
* may be attained by another Medium, as appeareth
* in thefe two Names and Titles, Cuftodes Libertath
' Anglits, and Protettor :' It may be affirm'd of the
one, that the Experience of it was but of fhort Con-
tinuance ; and of the other, that it hath and doth ftill
ftand but in a (baking and uncertain Condition ; and
of both, that they have attained the End but imper-
fec-tly, and that through the Help of a great deal of
Force. Befides, if the Parliament, (and they fup-
pofe the like Reafon extends alfo to your Highnefs)
when perfuaded in their Judgments that your ta-
king the Name and Title of King is the beft Me-
dium to preferve the Liberties and the Peace of the
Nations, fhould make Choice of a weaker Prop, no
Neceflity appearing unto them fo to do ; and that
thereupon ftiould enfue great Inconveniences ; and
the Band of Peace being broken, Blood and Confu-
fion fhould return upon the Nation ; it muft needs
alfo return upon their Thoughts that they had been
wanting in their Duty, in not providing the beft Re-
medy, which poflibly might have prevented all the
Mifchief.
' This leads to the Confideration of another
Queftion in this Matter, Whether, admitting your
High-
Of E N G L A N D. 107
Highnefs's Petition, ' That there is not a Necefiity
* of this Name of King> the Reafon held forth by
your Highnefs, makes out fuch a Nccelfity as that
you cannot take upon you that Name, though ad-
viled thereto by the Parliament, as the befT, and
moll conducing to the Ends of Government Your
Highnefs was pleafed, in the firft Place, to mention
' the Diflatisfaction, as to this Particular, of many
4 pious Men, and fuch as have grown up all along
' with you in the carrying on this great Caufe, as
* Soldiers ;' which indeed muft need be a very
great and tender Confideration to your Highnefs, as
it is alfo to all of us, who reap the Fruit of their
Prayers and of their Hazards, and great and excel-
lent Service ; and it would be a great Mappings, if
it might pleafe God that great and good Things
were carried on with Unanimity and Harmony
amongft good Men : But this Felicity hath never
yet been granted unto jus ; fo that great Matters
and Changes have been accompanied with great
Difficulties, with great Difference of Judgments,
even amongft the beft Men, as our late Changes
fufficiently teftify.
' Your Highnefs knows well when that Change
was made, whereby the Name and Office of King
was laid afide, how many pious Men, and your old
Friends, were difiatisfied therewith ; and yet thofe :
that had then the Power, did not think that they
ihould therefore forbear to do what then was judged
to be for the Good of the Nation.
'There was the like DiflatisfacYion, on the other
Side, of many piou^ Men, when your Highnefs took
upon you the Government under the Name of Pro-
tettor j and yet it was not held any juft Obftacle to
what was then thought good for the Nation.
* There is a certain Latitude, whereby Refpeft
may be had to Friends ; but when the Public Good
of the whole Nation «is in Queftion, other Confi-
derations than that ought not to take Place : And
as it is no Kindnefs to go about to fatisfy Men's De-
fircs, to their own Prejudice and the Injury of the
Public, fo it cannot be thought but that pious and
fobcr
io8 The Parliamentary HISTORY*
Inier-regnum. fober Men, when they fee this Name ftamp'd firft
with the Ordinance of Men, and afterwards with
God's Ordinance, (for fo it will then be) will fubmit
thereunto for the Lord's Sake} and fatisfy their
Minds that they ought fo to do.
' For that other Reafon alledged by your High-
jiefs, ' That this Name hath been blafted, and ta-
« ken away by the Parliament :' It is clear, that the
Thing was as much blafted as the Name ; and the
Government by a Single Perfon, under what Name
foever, as much and more blafted than this Name;
but, in Truth, neither Name nor Thing hath been
at all blafted by God, otherwife than as he blafted
all Things and Names of this Nature. It may be
as truly faid, That he hath blafted Parliaments, for
they have alfo undergone and felt the like Blafts ;
but God hath fo declared his Will concerning all
particular Forms of Government, that they are
wholly at the Pleafure and Difpofition of Men, to
be continued, altered, and changed according to the
Exigency of Affairs, and the Good of the People
and Nations for which they are inftituted by Men 5
for the Scripture calleth them Humana Creationis.
Therefore as Men blafted them, fo God blafted
them ; and when God fets them up again, God ho-
noureth them again, and commands they (hould be
honoured: One Parliament thought the prefent
State of Affairs requir'd the taking away of this
Name and Office j and this Parliament judges that
the prefent State of Affairs requires the reftoring it
to the Nations again.
' As to that Point of Safety which your Highnefs
touched upon, we might beft anfwer it by draw-
Ing a Curtain before it, as your Highnefs hath given
us an Example. There are Diflatisfa&ions on the
one Side, as well as on the other, neither is the Con-
federation of Danger only on the one Side ; and fome
Things may be more convenient for your High-
nefs to conceive, than for us to fpeak ; only I fhall
remind your Highnefs of what the wife Man faith,
He that obferveth the Wind Jhall never fow, and be
that regardtth the, Cloyd* fall never reap: The
Of £ N G L A N D. 109
Hufbandman, in the Way of his Calling, muft re- Inter-regnura.
gulate his Actions by the Ordinance and revealed
Will of God, without attending unto the uncertain
Events which may arife through the Inclemency of
the Air, which is in God's Hands and Difpofition;
fo every Man, in the Way of his Calling, mull at-
tend to what is the revealed Will of God, to guide
his Refolutions and Actions by, and not by the va-
rious Minds of Men, which are in the Hands of
God : And the wife Man alfo faith, He that walk-
eth uprightly , walketb furely ; he walketh uprightly
that walketh according to God's revealed Will. It
is in like Manner a great Sign of Integrity, to {peak
as a Man thinks, to do as he fpeaks, and to fuit
Names to Things ; and as your Parliament hath
thought fit to fuit Kingjhip with this Thing, fo have
they offered it to your Highnefs with much Integri-
ty, and without any other Refpect than the Good
and Liberty of the Nations.'
The Lord Erogblll fpoke next, to this Effect :
* Your Highnefs, the laft Time this Committee Lord BngbWi
had the Honour to wait upon you, feemed to be of
Opinion, < That it was not neceflary that you
' mould alTume the Title of King, to exercife le-
* gaily the Office and Duty of Supreme Magiftrate
' of thefe Three Nations ; becaufe that the Title of
* Proteflor9 if, by the Authority of Parliament,
* made the Title of the Chief Magiftrate, would do
' as well, and anfwer all Ends of Government as
' fully, as that which now the Parliament does
' dcfire and advife your Highnefs to take upon you/
But, to effect this, either all the Powers and Limi-
tations of a Proteftor muft be more particularly enu-
merated, or he muft, under that Name, have all the
Authorities of a King, as a King has by the Law.
Of the firft of thqfe then (as thofe learned Gen-
tlemen that have fpoken before, have fully proved)
whatsoever is not particularly fpecified, the Protec-
tor is left to act arbitrarily in, or a Parliament muft
be called to fupply every new difcovercd Defect ;
his Powers being derived only from that Authority
that
no The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. that now '.Iocs, or hereafter lhall, conftitute them :
This will prove dangerous and inconvenient both to
himfelf and to the People ; and to fet down all the
Authorities and Regulations which are requifite,
will be a Work of fo much Time and Difficulty,
that if, in the Notion of it only, it feems impracti-
cable, it will, in the Acting, be found much more
fo.
' As to the Second, it will evidently appear, that
the Difficulty is only about a Name ; and it would
be a fad Thing indeed that any Difference mould be
between your Higbnefs and the Parliament, efpeci al-
ly when the Thing differ'd in refers to the fettling
of our Foundation, and the Thing differed upon is
only a Name. I hope that Unhappinefs will be fo
Well forefeen, as never to be run into.
' Your High i efs was plcafed to take Notice,
* That if the Title of Protestor was fettled by Par-
* liament, hardly any Thing could be objected
* againft it, but that it is a Title not fo long known
* to thefe Nations as that of King :' And this is a
grave and weighty Objection ; fince, in conftituting
of Governments, the ableft and moft difcerning,
Judges are incapable to fee thofe Difadvantages and.
Inconveniences, which Time and Experience do
render evident ; which may be a Reafon, if not
the chief one, \vhy our Anceftors would never alter
Kingly Government, tho' they had often the Power
to do it, and were provoked thereunto by the Exor-
bitancy and Mai Adininiftration of their Princes ;
they choofing rather to bound that Office in Pro-
portion to the Evils they had fuffered under it, than
to eftablilh a new Model of their own 5 in creeling
of which, they could not have, in fome Ages, the
Experience they had of that: And to caft off an Of-
fice that has been fame hundreds of Years pruning
and fitting for the Good of the People, to eftablifli
one that has been but newly known, were to think
ourfelves wifer in one Day, than our Forefathers
have been ever, fince the fiift Erecting of Regal Go-
vernment.
It
Of E N G L A N D. in
e It is an unqucftionable Principle, That the Inter-regnum.
Magirtrate is eftablifhed for the Laws, and not the ^57-
Laws for the Magiftrate : If therefore the Title of ^ T*T
Proteftor fhould be the Title of the Supreme Magi-
ftrate, we {hould fit the Laws to him, not him to
the Laws ; which would be by our Practice to
contradict our Profeflions, and poflibly wound the
People's Rights : But in this Point there has been
fo much faid, and that fo learnedly, by thofe wor-
thy Perfons who have fpoke before, that to prove
the Neceflity of your Highnefs afluming the Title
of King, would be but to recapitulate thofe many
Reafons already given. That the Parliament of
Three Nations think it neceflary you fliould do it,
is evident by their inferting it amongft thofe three
Things which they efteem Fundamentals as to the
Settlement : Yea, they have placed it at the Head
of all thofe Fundamentals, and laid fo great Strefs
on it, that, in their humble Petition and Advice,
they declare, ' That if it be not accepted of, the
* whole mall be efteemed null and void ;' fo that the
higheft Neceflity, impofed by a Parliament, well
delerves the beft Acceptance.
4 Your Highnefs was pleafed to mention, * That
we had recent Experiments, that the Supreme
Magiftracy of the Nation might be managed, to
all Intents and Purpofes, as well under another
Name and Title as that of King, viz. under the
Name of The Keepers of the Liberty of England,
and under that of Proteffor :' But I mail humbly
befeech your Highnefs to confider, That becaufe
that was not grounded upon the old known Laws,
it was of very fhort Duration : And for the Second,
for the fame Reafon, the Parliament is now peti-
tioning and advifing your Highnefs to alter it ; fo
what are brought as Arguments to prove what your
1 li-lmefs mentions, poflibly may rather evince the
contrary : Befides, Sir, it is confefled on all Hands,
That thefe two Changes fprung from Neceflity ;
and therefore were not, neither ought to be, of
longer Continuance than that Neceflity which cau-
fed them ; and this is the great and real Difference
between
112 The Parliamentary HISTORY
loter-regnum. between Conftitutions that are eftablifhed meerly
becaufe Neceflary, and thofe that are eftabliflied
meerly becaufe Good : For what is only of Necef-
fity, is but temporary, as no EfFecT: lafts longer than
its Caufe j but what is good in its own Nature, is
always good ; and if, by intervening Accidents, it
be a while clouded, yet at length it fhines and over-
comes j and all wife Men do defire to revert unto
it.
* To prove that the firft of thefe Changes, the
Keepers of the Liberty of 'England ', was only an Ad~l
ofNeceffity, and not of Choice, I need but remind
your Highnefs, That after the Determination of the
Regal Authority, the Parliament were neceffitated
to advife with a Civilian of another Nation, what
the Hollanders had done in their Cafe ; fo much
they were at a Lofs what to do : And, indeed, the
Providence or God hath fo altered the Temper
of Officers between that Time and this, that the
Change appeared beft, becaufe neceflary : But the
Parliament efteems the Change now defired necef-
fary, becaufe beft; nor can we poffibly better exprefs
our Thankfulnefs for the Opportunity which now
God hath put into our Hands, than to employ it to
make the beft and moft lafting Settlement.
* All Things are beft, which are found beft upon
Trial ; but all the Changes we have been under of
late were upon Belief, not Experiment ; and having
had an Effay of all, the Parliament have found,
That, above all, Regal Government is the beft;
fo that, by the beft Judges, and by the beft Way
of judging, that Form of Government now prefent-
ed to your Highnefs, hath the Precedency in the
People's Opinion ; and therefore it's hoped you will
have it in yours.
« It may poffibly be fit for your Highnefs's Obfer-
fervation, That the firft Breach which happened
amongft thofe worthy Perfons, who inftrumentally
carried on our Common Caufe, arofe from the taking
away the Title and Office of King, fo often declared
for, and engaged to be maintained by the Parlia-
ment ; till then we went Hand in Hand, and took
Jweet
Of E N G L A N D. 113
fwcet Council together: And if the Abolishing there- Inter-regm
of caufed fo fad a Breach, probably the Reftoration '
of it may make it up again April?
* Your Highnefs was pleafed to fay, ' You af-
* fumed the Office you now bear with no better Hope
« than to prevent Mifchief ;' queftionlefs we may
expect better Fruits from the Supreme Magiftracy :
And if your Highnefs, who is every way fo worthy
of that Office, had no better Hopes under the Title
of Proteftor, we may juftly afcribe it not unto your-
felf, but unto the Conftitution of Government you
acted under ; and therefore, if your Highnefs will
a flu me the Supreme Magiftracy according to the
Laws, we (hall both hope and believe that you will
not only prevent 111, but do much Good ; the beft
Governor being grafted upon the beft Government.
« Your Highnefs exprefled fome Doubts, « That
* the Providence of God hath blafted the Kings Ot-
* fice in the Duft; and that, by an Acl of Parlia-
' ment, it was laid afide :' But I humbly hope your
Highnefs will pardon me, if I cannot have the like
Apprehenfion ; I cannot believe, if that Office were
blafted by the Hand of God, that the Parliament
would advife and petition you to take it up. Be-
fides, Sir, the very Aft which firft caft out the
Kingly Office, did alfo caft out the Supreme Ma-
giftracy in any Single Per fan ; yea, by way of Elec-
tion or otherwife : Therefore I beg your Pardon, if
I cannot think that that Act of Parliament can be
interpreted as a providential Blafting of that Office,
which your Highnefs thought neceflary to accept of;
and by virtue of which we have, for fome Years
paft, enjoyed Quiet and Protection : But if Regal
Government be blafted, then the Supreme Magift-
racy in a Single Perfon is as much fo ; they being
both, equally, declared againft at the fame Time,
and in the fame A<St of Parliament. Now, fincc
your Highnefs, by your Actings, have evinced you
did not believe the Supreme Magiftracy in a Sijigle
Perfon was blafted by Providence, you will permit
us to believe that Regal Government is no more
blafted than that j the fame Authority and the fame
VOL. XXI. H Aft'
1 14 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jntcr-ragnum. A& having blafted, as far as they could, both
6 alike.
' Your Highnefs is alfo pleafed to fay, ' Regal
' Government is caft out de Fafto.' If the Weight
of the Argument does reft thereon, your High-
nefs, by accepting the Petition and Advice of the
Parliament, will make your Argument as ftrong
for Regal Government as ever it was againft it; and
'tis hoped your Highnefs will not doubt, that what
one Supreme Authority did fupprefs, another may
erecl. The fetting up a Commonwealth-Govern-
ment feem'd neceffary in their Judgment only, when
they knew not what to do after they had ejected
Kings; and we (hall be in the like Perplexity, if
jiow you accept not of this Offer. The Act of Par-
liament for abolifhing of Monarchy muft be confi-
dered under that Notion only ; and yet I think there
?re few that efteem it not as fit to prefer Regal Go-
vernment again, under due Qualifications, as it
then was efteemed fit not to allow of it under any.
Again : If your Highnefs's Argument was carried
on as far as it might be, I appiehend it might alfo
bring into Queftion, that the Parliament was blafted
by Providence; for whoever allows not the difTol-
ving of the Long Parliament to be under that No-
tion, will hardly find a good Reafon for its Diffo-
lution.
4 But it may be faid, ' That the Long Parliament
was rejected on account of fome that acted in it,
who were fufpected to have a Defign of perpetu-
ating themfelves in that Authority, which woulJ
have turned what mould have been our Phyfic in-
to our Poifon.' To which I humbly anfwer,
Had that been fo, the People might have had new
Writs fent unto them for the Election of their Re-
prefentatives, who might have carried on the Public
Affairs of the Nation by a new Parliament; but it
feems thofe Times would not bear it, and therefore
a Convention of felecl Perfons were called, unchofen
by the People, to whom all Power was devolved ;
and who had even a Right to have perpetuated
themfelves, by calling in to themfelves, from Time
to
Of ENGLAND. 11$
to Time, fuch as they thought fit : So that Parlia- intcr.r?gnum.
ments were, not for that Turn only, laid af^de, bqt 1657.
even by that Conftitution which did it, were pcrpe- v— -v— -I
tually excluded. Hence it is evident, That if April.
Kings were de Fatto blatted, Parliaments were the
jike, yea much more fo; for in the Act for abolifh-
ing Regal Government, it was Treafon in thofe
only, who offered to reftore it without Confent
of Parliament : But in that Allembly there was no
fuch Provifion for Parliaments at all ; for, by their
Conftitution, Parliaments were excluded : And to
evidence how much Strefs there lies barely upon a
Legal Name, that Aflembly, to give a greater
San£tion to their Actings, ftyled themfelves a Par-
liament^ that being the only Name under which it
was fit for them to be taken Notice of as the Su-
preme Authority of the Nation ; which poflibly may
invite your Highnefs to believe, that godly and wife
Men think it efTential to have Titles confonant to
our Laws : And therefore that your Highnefs, in
the Exercife of the Supreme Magiftracy, will be
the rather invited to alTume theTitle of King ; that,
only, being confonant to the Law.
4 I think all fober Men agree upon the Neceflity
of a Government, but for the particular Form there-
of, it is left to the Wifdom of thofe which the:
People chufe to reprefcnt them, to fet up fu.ch a one
as may be molt fitted to their Genius, and likelieft
to Lend to their Good and Tranquility. If any can
prove that Regal Government, by the Word of
God, is unlawful, or that the People have not
Power to give the Supreme Magiftrate what Name
they think beft, I fhould be then filent : But fince
that Power is, unqueftionably, in the Reprefenta-
tives of the People ; fmce they have defired your
Highnefs to govern them by the Title of K.in%\ and
fince alfo nothing can be objected againft it, and
both Reafon and Cuftorn plead for it, we earneftly
hope you will not think fit to deny the People that
which is their Right, and I believe v/as never yet
denied, by any Supreme Magiftrate, to any People.
To all this may be added, That if Kingjhip has
II 2 been
1 1 6 The Parliamentary HISTOKT
Inter- regnum. been caft out by many Providences, your Highnefs,
accepting it, will (hew, That it is reftored at
by as many more, that have happened in the
Intervals between its Rejection and Restitution.
* Your Highnefc did further object, ' That fome
s good Men would be offended at your Acceptance
4 of that Title.' I confefs that this is very confi-
derable; and I think every judicious Perfon in the
Houfe would be very cautious to give Men of that
Chara&er a juft Offence : But your Highnefs will
be pleafed to permit me to remind you of the Cha-
racter you: gave of good Men in your laft Speech :
* They are fuch, you faid, as give Obedience to
' Gofpel-Ordinances ; which require Obedience to
* Authorities, not for Fear, but for Confcience-
' Sake : That you reckoned nothing of Piety with-
* out that Circle ; and that any Principle which op-
* pofed this was diabolical, and fprung from the
* Depth of Satan's Wickednefs.'
* You were pleafed further to fay, * That though.
« fome good Men fcrupled at that Name the Par-
* liament thought fit to reftore, yet their doing fo
* was no Part of their Goodnefs :' By all which it
will be evident, that your Acceptance thereof can-
not offend good Men, unlefs they efteem their Obe-
dience to a Gofpel- Ordinance an Offence, which I
hope no good Men will or can do.
4 I ihall alfo humbly befeech your Highnefs to
confider, That if, on the one Side, the Acceptance
of the Title may offend Ibmc good Men ; fa, on
/he other Side, the declining of it will give Offence
to the Parliament, where all good Men are legally,
and at once, reprefented.
* The Cafe of David, when his Quid was fide,
may poflibly parallel the Cafe of fuch good Men as
are herein unfatisfied. While the Child was fick,
he was very earneft with the Lord for the reftoring
of it to Health, but God was not pleafed fo to do,
and the Child died : His Servants, being of another
Principle than himfelf, thus reafoned : ' Jf his
' Trouble and Grief were fo great while yet the
' Child was not dead, what will it be now it is dead I*
But
Of E N G L A N D. 117
But David reafoned thus: * While there was Hope, Inter-regnum .
« I wreftled with God ; but fince his Will is de-
* clared, I chearfully fubmit to it.' I hope, as the
fcrupulous Conferences of good Men, in the parti-
cular Point of Regal Government, is a Parable in
the Hiftory, fo it will Jikewife prove in the Event.
' Your Highnefs was further pleafed to mention
' fome Confiderations in reference to Safety :' To
which I humbly anfwer, The Things that are of-
fered to you are juft in themfelves, in reference to
Civil and Spiritual Things, and fo acknowledged by
you : That Authority that tenders them, is the Su-
preme Legal Authority of Three great Nations.
You have a faithful and a good Army, and we have
you at the Head of them : What fliall we then fear?
To which I (hall only add, That our Safety hath been
often in Danger by the King and Parliament's dif-
agreeing; but this is the firft Time, if it be in Dan-
fer, that ever it was by their Agreement. To this
may further add, That whatever Evil may arife
from your Agreement with your Parliament, it will
befall us in the Way of our Duty, which is an in-
ward Comfort to balance any outward Evil : But
if any Evil happens by your not clofing with your
Parliament, we {hall undergo the outward Harm,
and be denied the inward Support.
' Your Highnefs was alfo pleafed to fay, ' You
* had rather have any Name from this Parliament,
* than the greateft Name that is not given by them.1
Permit me therefore now to fay, That, to all other
Arguments, we have one that is irrefutable, and
that is your own Engagement ; for the Parliament
doth defire and advife you to accept the Name of
King : Hitherto we have pleaded but upon the ac-
count of your Engagement; and it is humbly hop'd
that your Highnefs, who hath fo exactly obferved
your Word to the worft of your Enemies, will not
break it to your beft Friends, the Parliament.'
The Lord-Commiflloner Wlntlocke, who was the
firft, according to his Place as Chairman, that be.-
H 3 gun
1 1 8 The Parliamentary HISTORY
inter-regnum. gun the Conference, concluded the whole Argu-
l657- ment with the following Difcourfe to the Protector.
A?ril- SIR,
Lord-Commif- ' I have very little to trouble your Highnefs with.
fioner Wbithcke. So much hath been dready fpoken, and fo well,
that it will be hard for me, or any other, to add to
it ; only the Duty of my Employment, and fome-
thing due to your Highnefs, occafions me to fpeak
a few Words to acknowledge, with very humble
Thanks, the Honour and Right which you have
done this Committee, by the clear and free Dif-
courfes and Conferences which they have had with
your Highnefs ; and for your frequent Expreflions
and Teftimonies of Affection and Refpect to the
Parliament, whofe Senfe in this I may prefume to
fpeak, That never any Perfons met their Supreme
Magiftrate with more Love, Duty, and Honour,
than the Parliament have met your Highnefs with,
in their prelent Addrefles ; which Argument of
Love deferves the Efteem and Force, which I doubt
riot but your Highnefs will put upon it. I am afraid
to be too tedious at any Time, efpecially at fo late
an Hour ; and therefore I (hall fpeak but briefly to
fome Things, which, as I remember, have not been
mentioned.
' Your Highnefs was pleafed, at the laft Meet-
ing, to fay, ' That the original Inftitution of the
Title of King, was by common Confent ; and that
the fame common Confent might inftitute any other
Title, and make it as effectual as that of King:'
This muft be acknowledged; but, withail, you may
be pleafed to obferve, That the Title of King is not
only by an original common Confent, but that Con-
fent alfo approved and confirmed, and the Law fit-
ted thereunto, and th'at fitted to the Laws, by the
Experience and Induftry of many Ages, and many
Hundreds of Years together ; whereas any other
Title will be only by prefent common Confent,
without that Experience and Approbation.
* As for that Experience which your Highnefs
« mentioned to have been 0f other Titles, and the
due
Of ENGLAND.
c due Adminilrration of Juftice under them,' that is Inter-re&num.
far fhort of the other ; and for the Courle of Juflice, l657-
we have Cautc to thank that Care which placed fo ^~~^/~j*~J
good Judges and Officers over us ; yet give me Leave ?r
to fay, That in private Caufes between Party and
Party, and in public Matters in criminal Caufes, it
was not eafy to find Juftice to be done by fome Ju-
rors; and many Questions have arifen upon the Oc-
cafion of rhofe new Titles. Concerning that tender
Point, good Men's Satisfaction, I think it requires
a very great Regard from us ; and I doubt not but
thofe good People will be fully latisfied, if they con-
fider the Covenants, Promifes, and Precepts, which
in the Scriptures are annex'd to the Narhe of King:
And tho' fome have alledged, that they belong, to-
any Chief Magistrate as vreH as to a King ; yet no»
Man did ever read the original Word tranflated
otherwife than King ; neither do I find the prefent
Title of Protfffor once mentioned in Holy Writ.
' If the prefent Authority be a lawful Authority,,
which I hope none of us will deny, furely thole good
Men, who are fo well principled in Godlinefs, will
not forget that Precept of Submiflion to Authority;,
and fo be fatisfied with that which lawful Authority
(hall ordain. Their Rights and Liberties are the
fame with ours; and the Parliament cannot advife
any thing for the Prefervation of the People's Rights
but thofe good Men are included ; which I hope will
be no Dillatisfadion to them. In all the Changes
which we have fcen, there has been a Diflatisfac-
tion in fome, yet (till the Blefling of God hath gone
along, thro' all thcfe Changes, with thofe who car-
ried on his Interert; and the Caufe being the fame,
the fame Mercies have been continued : And I doubt
not (if the intended Change, or rather Reftitution,
be made, as I hope ii will) but the fame God will
continue his Bleifings to that good old Caufe where-
in we are engaged v and that all good Men will re-
ceive Satisfaction by it.
4 Your Highnefs hath been told, < That the Title
* of King is upon the Foundation of Law ; and that
* a new Title rnuft have a new Confutation to make
'the
1 2 o ^he Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum, ' the Laws relate unto it, and that unto the Laws :*
1657- I fhall only add this, That a Title by Relation is not
*— ••'"V""11 "^ fo certain and fafe as a Title upon the old Founda-
Ap tion of the Law ; and that a Title upon a prefent
fingleConftitution, as any new one muft be, cannot
be fo firm as a Title both upon the prefent Conftitu-
tion and upon the old Foundation of the Law like-
wife, which the Title of King will be.
' If any Inconvenience fhould enfue upon your
Acceptance of this Title which the Parliament ad-
vifeth, your Highnefs's Satisfaction will be, that
they did advife it : On the contrary, if any Incon-
venience fhould arife upon your Highnefs's Refufai
of that Title which the Parliament hath advifed,
your Burden will be the greater : And therefore,
whatsoever may fall out, will be better anfwered by
your Highnefs's complying with your Parliament
than otherwife.
' This Queftion is not altogether new; fome In^
ftances have been given of the like, to which I (hall
add two or three. The Title of the King of Eng-
land, in the Realm of Ireland, was Lord of Ireland*
And the Parliament, in the 33d of Henry the Eighth,
reciting the Inconveniences which did arife there
by reakm of that Title, did enact, That Henry the
Eighth mould aflume the Style and Title of King of
Ireland^ which, in the Judgment of that Parlia-
ment, was preferred before the other.
' In the State of Rome, new Titles proved fatal
to their Liberties; their Cafe was not much unlike
ours ; they were weaned with a Civil War, and
coming to a Settlement, Cuntfa Difcordiis Civilibus
fejfa, fub nomine Principis Imperium accepit ; fome
would not admit the Title of Rex to be ufed, but
were contented to give the Titles of Ctsfar, perpe-
tuus Dictator, Princeps Senatus, Jmperator. Non
fum Rex, fed Ctsfar. And it came at laft to this,
f^eluntas Geefaris pro Lege habebatur.
* The Northern People were more happy amongfl
themfelves : A private Gentleman, of a Noble Fa-
mily, took up Arms with his Countrymen againft a
Tyrant ; and, by the Blefiing of God, refcued their
native
Of E N G L A N D. 121
pative Liberties, and Rights of their Country, from
the Oppreflion of that Tyrant. This Gentleman
had the Title of Marfinl given to him, which con- A ril
tinued fome Years. Afterward their Parliament,
judging it belt to refume the old Title, elected this
Gentleman to be their King ; and with him were
brought in the Liberty of the Proteftant Religion,
and the Eftablifhment of the Civil Rights of that
People, which have continued in a profperous Con-
dition ever fmce unto this Day.
« Sir, I fhall make no other Application ; but, in
my Prayers to God, to direct your Highnefs and the
Parliament (as I hope he will) to do that which will
be mod for his Honour, and the Good of his
People/
April 23. This Day the Parliament ordered the
Serjeant at Arms to fumnion the Lords Commif-
fioners of the Great Seal, the Judge?, and all the
Lawyers in IVcJiminJler-Hally who were Members
of the Houte, to attend immediately ; which being
done, the Lord-Commiflioner JVhitlocke made a Re-
port of the foregoing Bulinefs, and the Houfe voted
their Approbation of the Proceedings of the Com-T.
mittee therein. Conferencfbe-
ing reported to
The reft of this Month was almoft wholly fpentthe Houfe,
by the Parliament, in canvafling their humble Peti-
tion and Advice, without hearing any further from
the Lord Protector on that Subject : Infomuch that,
on the 3Oth, the Committee was ordered to wait
upon him with their feveral Refolutions touching
that Matter, and to defire his Higjjncfs to appoint a™* S^ST
Time when the Houfe might attend on him for hisproteftor again,
pofltive Allfwer. for a Definitive
In confequence hereof, the firft of May was ap-Anfwcu
pointed for that Purpofe, and afterwards the iixth ;
then the feventh, at Eleven in the Morning, which
was again deferred to Five that Afternoon ; when the
Committee having attended the Lord Protector once
more, he only cxcufed himfelf for making them ftay
fo long, and defired them to give him another Meet-
ipg the next Morning.
122 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Intcr;£g7nmn> We have been the more particularly exact and
* minute as to the Dates of the Committee's Proceed-
ings, and their repeated Attendances upon the Lord
Protector, b«caufe ail thefe Delays of Cromwell are
the ftrongeft Demonftration of his deep-laid Policy;
. who, by refufing, at the firft, to make any Objec-
tions to the Title of King, when offered him by the
Parliament, till he had heard the Committee's Ar-
guments in Favour of that Propofal ; and then, by
deferring his Anfwer, from Time to Time, fathom'd
the Sentiments of all Parties, without difcovering his
own. However,
May 8. The Lord-Commiflioner Wbitlocke re-
ported, That his Highnefs defired the Parliament to
meet him, prefently, in the Banquetting- Houfe at
Whitehall.— ^M^ before they could come to any Re-
folution thereupon, an Affair happened which put
an End to all Cromwell's farther Evafions, and de-
termined him to give a definitive Anfwer : For the
Journals acquaint us, That the Houfe being in-
form'd divers Officers of the Army were at the Door
with a Petition, they were called in. -But no
Mention being made, in thofe Authorities, of- the
Contents of this Paper, we (hall fupply the Defi-
ciency from Mr. Ludlow^ who writes, ' That fome
Officers of the Army, difgufted at the Proceedings
of the Parliament, came to the Door of the Houfe ;
A Petition from and fent in a Meffage to General Dejborougb, fig-
feveral Officers njfyjng That they had a Petition, which they de-
of the Army, to - ' . °. r • i c- i T> i_ i
the Parliament, "red him to prcfent to the Speaker : But he know-
againft Crom- ing the Contents of it, and conceiving it unfit for
w^'s beins' him to take pub^c Notice of it before it was pre-
fented, only acquainted the Houfe, That certain
Officers of the Army had a Petition to prefect to
them : And every one fuppofing that the S-entiments
of thefe Officers were conformable to their own,
Cromwell's Party concluding that none of the Army
durft appear for the crofling his Defign, it was ge-
nerally agreed that they ftiould be called in, and
have Leave to prefent their Petition with their own
Hands. Lieutenant- Colonel Mafon was chofen, by
the
Of E N G L A N D. 123
the reft of the Officers, to deliver it j which when he
had done, and the Officers wcic withdrawn, the fame1
was read to this Effect: * That they had hazarded
their Lives againft Monarchy, and were ftill ready
fo to do, in Defence of the Liberties of their Coun-
try : That having obferved, in fome Men, great
Endeavours to bring the Nation again under their
old Servitude, by prefling their General to take
upon him the Title and Government of a King^ in
order to deftroy him, and weaken the Hands of
thofe who were faithful to the Public ; they
therefore humbly defucd the Houfe to difcounte-
nance all fuch Perforis and Endeavours, and con-
tinue ftedfaft to the old Caufe, for the Preferva-
tion of which they, for their Parts* were moft
ready to lay down their Lives a.' This Petition
xvas fubfcribed by two Colonels, feveh Lieutenant-
Colonels, eight Majors, and fixteen Captains, who,
with fuch.Officers in the Houfe as were of the fame
Opinion, made up the Majority of thofe which
were then quartered about the Town.'
* It was difficult (adds our Memorialing) to deter-
mine whether the Houfe or Cromwell was moft fur-
prized at this unexpected AiJdrefs j but, certainly,
both were infinitely difturbed at it. As foon as the
Notice of it was brought to him, he fent for Lieu-
tenant-General Flcftiuoofl) and told him, * That he
wondered he Would fuffer fuch a Petition to pro-
ceed fo far, which might eafdy have been prevent-
ed, fmce he knew it to be his Refolution not to ac-
cept the Crown without the Confcnt of the Army;
and therefore defired him to haften to the Houfe,
and put thtrn off" from doing any Thing further
therein. The Lieutenant -General immediately
went thither, and told them, That the Petition
ought not to be debated, much lefs to be anfwered
at
» This Petition w«s fo diftafteful to Cratnvt/I, that ail poffible Means
were ufed by Secretary Tburhe to prevent any Copies thereof being
difperfed in England ; Orders of the fame kind were fent to General
Monk in Scitlafid, and to Henry Cmmtoe/l, the Protestor's fccond Sor\,
then in Inland* Tburloei Slate Pffftrs, Vtli Vlt p. 29 1, 310.
124 yb* Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. at this Time, the Contents of it being to defire
t^f5— ^_y them not to prefs the Prote&or to be King, where-
M as the prefent Bufinefs was to receive his Anfwer
to what had been formerly offered to him ; and
therefore he infifted that the Debate of it might be
put off, foj: the prefent.
Mr. Ludlow1^ Account of the foregoing Affair
Hands confirmed by the Journals ; in which it ap-
pears, That, the Petitioners being withdrawn, the
Houfe, without coming to any Refolution as to the
Matter of the Petition, went to meet the Lord Pro-
tector at the Banqueting-Houfe^ according to his
Appointment ; where he delivered his Sentiments to
them in thefe Words :
Mr. Speaker,
* T Come hither to anfwer that which was in your
SfheUrefuef« 1 .laft PaPer to th.e Committee you fent to me,
tliat Title; ' which was in relation to the Defires which were
' offered to me by the Houfe, in what they called
4 their Petition.
' I confefs, that Bufinefs hath put the Houfe,
c the Parliament, to a great deal of Trouble, and
*• fpent much Time.
' I am very forry for that ! It hath coft me fome
' and fome Thoughts ; and becaufe 1 have been the
* unhappy Occafion of the Expence of fo much
6 Time, I fhall fpend little of it now.
' I have, the beft I can, revolved the whole Bufi-
' nefs in my Thoughts ; and I have faid fo much
' already in Teftimony to the whole, that I think
' I fhall not need to repeat any Thing that' I have
' faid. I think it is a Government that, in the Aims
* of it, feeksthe fettling the Nation on a good Foot,
' in relation to Civil Rights and Liberties, which
' are the Rights of the Nation : And I hope I fhall
' never be found to be one of them that fhall go
' about to rob the Nation of thole Rights, but to
' ferve them what I can to the attaining of them.
* it is alfo exceedingly well provided there, for
* the Safety and Security of honeft Men, in that
« great,
Of ENGLAND. 125
T »reat, natural, and religious Liberty, which is inter-regnum.
* Liberty of Confcience. Thefe are the great Fun- '657-
' damentals ; and I muft bear my Teftimony to *— — v— -^
* them, as I have and (hall do ftill, fo long as God May>
' lets me live in this World, that the Intentions
' and the Things are very honourable and honeft,
' and the Product worthy of a Parliament : I have
' only had the Unhappinefs, both in my Conferences
* with your Committees, and in the bed Thoughts
* I could take to myfelf, not to be convinced of
* the Necefllty of that Thing that hath been fo
' often in lifted on by you ; to wit, the Title of
' King, as in itfelf fo necefiary as it feems to be
' apprehended by you.
4 And yet I do, with all Honour and Refpect
' to the Judgment of a Parliament, teftify that
* (cateris paribus) no private Judgment is to lie in
* the Balance with the Judgment of Parliament ;
' but, in Things that refpeft particular Perfons,
4 every Man that is to give an Account to God of
* his Aclions, muft, in fome Mcafure, be able tor
' prove his own Work, and to have an Approba-
' tion, in his own Confcience, of that that he is to
' do, or to forbear : And whilft you are granting
4 others their Liberties, furely you will not deny me
' this ; it being not only a Liberty, but a Duty (and
* fuch a Duty as I cannot, without Sinning, forbear)
* to examine my own Heart, and Thoughts, and
' Judgment, in every Work which I am to fet my
4 Hand to, or to appear in, or for.
* I muft confcfs therefore, that though I do ac-
* knowledge all the other, yet I muft be a little
* confident in this, That what with the Circum-
* ftances that accompany human Actions, whether
' they be Circumrtances of Times or Perfons ; whe-
' ther Circumftances that relate to the whole, or
* private, or particular Circumftances, that compafs
' any Perfon that is to render an Account of his own
* Actions ; I have truly thought and do ftill think,
* that if I fhould, at the beft, do any Thing on this
* Account to anfwer your Expectation, at the beft,
* I fliwulJ do it deubtingly j and, certainly, what is
126 The Parliamentary Hi STORY*
4 fo, is not of Faith ; and whatfoever is not fo,
' whatfoever is not of Faith, is Sin to him that doth
' it, whether it be with relation to the Subftance
* of the Action, about which that Confideration is
' converfant, or whether to Circumftances about it,
' which make all indifferent; Actions good or evil :
* I fay Circumftances ; and truly I mean good or
' evil to him that doth it.
' I, lying under this Confideration, think it my
* Duty, onTy I could have wifhed I had done it
* fooner, for the Sake of the Houfe, who hath laid
* fo infinite Obligations on me ; I wiih I had done
* it fooner, for your Sake, and faving Time and
' Trouble ; and indeed for the Committee's Sake,
' to whom I muft acknowledge publickly I have
* been unreafonably troublefome : I fay I could have
* wifhed I had given it fooner : But truly, this is
' my Anfwer, That (although I think the Govern-
* ment doth confift of very excellent Parts, iri all
* but in that one Thing the Title, as to me) I
* fhoald not be an honeft Man if I ihould not tell
' you, that I cannot accept of the Government nor
* undertake the Trouble and Charge of it, which
' I have a little more experimented than every
' Body, what Troubles and Difficulties do befal
' Men under fuch Trufts, and in fuch Undertakings :
* I fay I am perfuaded to return this Anfwer to you,
' That I cannot undertake the Government with
' the Title of King: And that is my Anfwer to this
' great and weighty Bufinefs.'
jN"otwithftanding Cromwell's refufing the Title of
King) with fuch feemins; Earneftnefs, it appears,
upon the Evidence cf Mr. IVbitlscke and Secretary
Thurloe, l That the Pror.ecT.or was not only fully
fatisfied in his own private Judgment, that it was fit
for him to accept of the Parliament's Propofal, but
alfo declared to feveral Members his Reiolution to
do fo j and that Matters were prepared in order
thereto a.' A modern Hiftorian b adds, That a
Crown
a Memorials^ p. 646.— Ludlcvi, Vol. II. p. 583, ft ftj .— $ur-
net\ Hiftery of bis own Times, Vol, I. p. 7®.
\f &tho»tft Memtirs, p. 1 1 6.
Of E N G L A N D. 127
•Crown was a&ually made ready; and it appears inter-regnnm .
by feveral original 'Letters lince published c, that ^57.
not only the Protector's own Family, but even the *— • ~v— - '
fagacious Thurloe, was captivated with the Glare lay'
of his Matter's expedted Monarchy.- And altho'
all Hiftorians agree that Cromwell's P'ear of the Rc-
fentment of th« principal Officers in his Army, ( who
might hope to fucceexl him as Protector in their
Turn) the Sollicitations of the Republicans, and the
fufpected Fury of the various hinthufiafts of the
Times d, did, without Doubt, principally contri-
bute to this Piece of Self-DeniaJ ; yet it is ob-
fcrvable, from the whole Conduct of the Commit-
tee in the foregoing Conference, that their Aim was;
rather to reftore the Conftitution, than to pay a Per-
fbnal Compliment to Cromwell: And had he accept-
ed the Title of King, his own Depofal might polfibi v
have made Way for the Reftoration of the Stuqrt
Family; iincc, if the Government mud have been
veiled in a King, the Nation woyld probably have
chofen rather to fubmit to the Family of their an-
tient Monarchs, than to one who had been fo lately
their Fellow-Subject ; and the rather, fince fuch a
Revolution would have delivered the Kingdom from
the terrible Confequences of a diluted Title be-
tween a King de "Jure and a King tie Fatio.
How far the Jealoufy of fuch a Turn might contri-
bute to Cromwell's Determination, is Matter of
Speculation ; but this Conjecture will, perhaps, be
allowed to have fome Weight, when it is remem-
bered that not one of the Orators of the Committee,
except Mr. Lijle, had any Concern in the Trial of
Jfax^Charltt theFirft, and even he did not fignthe
bloody Warrant ; and that moft of the others ha<i
been fecludcd by the Army in December^ 1648, be-
fore the Judicial Procefs was commenced a-ninlt
that unhappy Prince. To this may be added, That
Lord Clarendon % though he fays 'that many of the
Cavaliers were ftruck with Horror at the Propoial
lor advancing Cromwell to the Crown, as tearing up
all
e 7/ii.r/e/s State Poftrt, Vol. VI. p. 281, Z$Z, 313.
•' A'fV*o//Vs Colle iiien of Letters, &C. p.
* //./. 'j, Vol. VI. p. 589.
128 The Parliamentary
Imer-regnum. all future Hopes of the Royal Family by the Roots'^
1657. yet he admits that Nobody was forwarder in that
v— -v— — ' Acclamation than very many of the King's Party,
May* who really believed that the making Crormvell King,
for the prefent, was the beft Expedient for the Re-
ftoration of his Majefty ; and that the Army and the
whole Nation would then have been united rather
to reftore the true, than to admit of a falfe, Sove-
reign, whofe Hypocrify and Tyranny being now de-
tedted and known, would be the more oetefted. .
But to return :
In canvafling and debating the foregoing Speech
of the Lord Protector, the Office of King/hip, which
they had put into their Humble Petition and Advice,
and which he had, now, artfully refufed to accept,
came in Queftion ; and on the igth of this Month
rient'agre'to"1116 Houfe refolved, on a Divifion of 77 againft 45,
ftyle him Lord that the Words Lord Protector fhould be inferted in-
Protestor, with ftead of that of King.
certain Limita-
Power°f h'S Jt is obfervable tnat> in tlje foregoing Conferen-
ces between Cromwell and the Committee, the prin-
cipal Arguments urged for his being King, were
grounded upon a juft Apprehenfion of the Inconve-
niences which might arife to the Public from the
Government's being vefted in a Title unknown t»
the Conftitution. The Monarchical Party there-
fore, being over-ruled in this Queftion, infifted,
that, as the Houfe had thought fit to change the
Name of King into that of Protector, a Committee
rnigl.t be appointed to whom it fhould be referred to
confider how that Title might be bounded, limited,
and circumftantiated. This being too reafonable a
Propofal to fuffer a Negative, a Committee was
appointed accordingly ; neverthelefs when they made
their Report, on the 22d, the Queftion for agreeing
thereto was carried by a Majority of only 53 Voices
againft 50; which confirmed the Sufpicion that thofe
who oppofed Cramiuell's being King^ fought to ren-
der him more abfolute as Prcteffcr. However, the
Queftion for agreeing with the Committee being
carried
Of E N G L A N D. 129
carried, the Houfe then refolved, That inftead of the inter-regmun,
Paragraph in their Petition, running thus, That your
Highnefs will be pleafed to ajfume the Name, Style,
Title, Dignity, and Office of King 0/ England, Scot-
land, and Ireland, and the refpeflive Dominions and
Territories thereto belonging \ and to exercife the fam*
according to the Laws of thefe Nations j this Ciaufe
be inferred : That your Highnefs will be pleafed ', by and
under the Name and Style cf Lord Protestor of the
Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland,
and the Dominions and Territories thereunto '
ing, to hold and exercife the Office of Chief Magi-
/irate of thefe Nations ; and to govern according to
this Petition and Advice in all Things therein con-
tained, and, in all other Things, according to the
Laws of thefe Nations, and not otherwife.
This knotty Point being thus fmeothed, put an
End to all farther Debates on the Parliament's Pe-
tition and Advice ; and it was ordered to be en-
grofled fair as foon as poflible. On the 25th, the
Day appointed by Cromwell to receive it, he came
down to Wejlminfter ; and fending for the Houfe to
attend him in the Painted- Chamber, the Speaker
prefented the fame to his Highnefs, acquainting him
with the Alterations made therein ; and then the
whole was read in the following Terras :
To his Highnefs the LORD PROTECTOR of
the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and
Ireland, and the Pominions thereto belonging,
The HUMBLE PETITION and ADVICE of the
KNIGHTS, CITIZENS, and BURGESSES now af •
fembled in the Parliament of this Commour
wealth.
the Knights, Citizens, and Burgcjfis in this Their
prefent Parliament ajembled, taking into
tnojl Jerious Confederation the prefent State of thefe
three Nations, joined and united under your High-
nefs's Prcft£iisn% cannot but, in the firjl 'Place, with
all Thankfulnefs acknowledge the wonderful Mercy of
XXI. Al-
130 The Parliamentary Hi STORY
later-regnum. Almighty God, in delivering us from that Tyranny
l6"' and Bondage, both in our Spiritual and Civil Con-
cernments^ which the late King and his Party defigned
to 'bring us under , and purfued the effecting thereof
by a long and bloody War ; and alfo that it hath plea-
fed the fame gracious God to prejerve your Perjon in
many Battles, to make you an Inftrument for pre-
ferving our Peace, although environed with Enemies
abroad, and filled ivith turbulent, rejllefs, and un-
quiet Spirits in our own Bowels ; that as in the tread'
ing, down the common Enemy, and reftoring us to
Peace and Trauquility, the Lord hath ufed you fo
eminently, and the worthy Officers and Soldiers of the
Army, whoje Faithfulnefs to the Common Cauje, we
and all good Men jhall e,ver acknowledge, and put a
juft Value upon; fo alfo that -he will ufe you and
them in the fettling and fecuring our Liberties, as we
are Men and Chriftians, to us and our Pofterity af-
ter us; ^uhich are thoje great and glorious Ends which
the good People of thefe Nations have fo freely, with
the Hazard of their Lives and Eftates, fo long and
tarncftly contended for : We confider likewife the con-
tinual Danger which your Life is in, from the bloody
Practices, both of the malignant and dif contented Par-
ty, (one whereof, thro" the Goodnefs of God, you have
been lately delivered from) it being a received Prin-
ciple amongjl the:', , That no Order being fettled in
your Lifetime for the SucceJJion in the Government,
nothing is wanting to bring- us into Blood and Confu-
Jjon, and them to their defied Ends, but the Deftruc-
tion of your Perfoti ; and in cafe Things Jbould thus
remain at your Death, zue arc not able to exprefs
•what Calamities would, in all human Probability, en-
fue thereupon, which we trujl your Highnefs, as well
as we, do hold yourfelf obliged to provide againjl;
and not to leave a People, whofe common Peace and
Inter eft you are intrujled with, in fuch a Condition
as may hazard both, efpecially in this Conjuncture,
when there feems to be an Opportunity of coming to
a Settlement upon juft and legal Foundations. Upon
theft Conjidsrations, we have judged it a Duty in-
cumbent
Of E N G L A N D. 131
cumbcnt upon us, to prefent and declare thffe our moft Inter- regnum.
jujl and nctfjfary Deftres to your Highnefs.
I. That your Highnefs will be pleafed, by and un-
der the Name -and Style of Lord Protettor of the
Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland,
and the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging,
to hold and exercife the Office of Chief Alagijirate
of thefe Nations, and to govern according to this Pe-
tition and Advice, in all Things therein contained*
and in all other Things according to the Laws of thefe
Nations, and not otherwife : That your Highnefs
will be pleafed, during ysur Lifetime., to appoint
and declare the Perfon who jhall* immediately after
your Death, fucceed you in the Government of thefe
Nations.
II. That your Hi^hnsft will, for the future, be
pleafed to call Parliaments, confeft'wg if two Houfesy
(in Inch Manner and fray as fnall be more particu-
larly afterwards agreed and declared in this Petition
and Advice) once in thres Tears at fartheji, or
cftner as the Affairs of the Nation Jhall require, thqt
being your Great Council, and in whofe Ajjettion and
Advice yourfelf and this People will be mtji jafe
and happy.
III. That the antient and undoubted Liberties and
Privileges of Parliament (which are the Birthright
and Inheritance of the People,, and wherein every
Man it inter ejled) be preferred and maintained; and
ikat you will not break or rxicrnipt the fsm£, .n&r
Jujfer them to be broken or interrupted ; and partku.-
larly, that thofe Perfons who are legally chsfcn by .a
free Election of the People to ferve in Parliament,
may not be excluded from fitting in Parliament to tfo
thiir Duties, tut by Judgmati and Confent of that
liw.fe whereof they are Members.
IV. Th/it thofe who have advifed, pjfifted, or abet-
ted the Rebellion of Ireland, and thofe who do or flat!
profefs the Popjfn Religion, be difabled and made in-
. U- for /ver to be e letted, or to give any Vote in
the Elctiion of any Member to fit or ferve in Par-
liament ; and that all and every Perfon and Perfom
why have aided) abetted, advifed, or aflif.cd in any
I 2
•
132 The "Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. Wot againjl the Parliament, fmce the firjl Day of
January, 1641, (unlefs he or they have fmce borne
Arms for the Parliament or your Highnefs, or other-
wife given fignal Tejlimony of his or their good Af-
feftion to the Commonwealth, and continued faithful
to the fame) ; and all fuch as have been affually en-
gaged in any Plot, Conspiracy, or Defign againfl the
Perfon of your Highnefs, or in any Infurreffion or
Rebellion in England or Wales fmce the i6tb Day
of December, 1653, Jhall be for ever difabled and
made incapable to be ehfted, or give any Vote in the
.£ left ion of any Member to Jit or ferve in Parliament.
'That for Scotland none be capable to eletJ, or be
defied to Jit or ferve in Parliament, who have been
in Arms againjl the Parliament of England, or
againjl the Parliament in Scotland before the firft
Day of April, 1648, (except fitch as have fmce
borne Arms in the Service of the Parliament of Eng-
land or your Highnefs, or given .other fignal Tejlimony
of their good Ajfettion) nor any that, fmce the f aid firft
Day of April, 1648, have been in Arms, or other-
wife aided, abetted, advifed, or aflifted in any War
again ft the Parliament of England or your Highnefs,
except fuch as, fmce the firft Day of March, 1651,
Qld Style, have lived peaceably, and thereby given
Tejlimony of their good Ajfeftion to the Parliament
and your Highnefs.
Provided, That nothing in this Article contained,
Jhall extend to put any Incapacity upon any Englifti or
Scots Proteftants in Ireland, either to eleft or be
elefted to ferve in Parliament, who before the firft
Day of March, 1649, have borne Arms for the
Parliament or your Highnefs, or othenuije given
fignal Teftimony of their good Ajfettion to this Com-
monwealth, and continusd faithful to the fame : That
all Votes and Elections, given or made contrary, or
not according to the £)uiilifications aforefaid, (hall be
vo>d and of none Effett ; and that if any Perfon or
Pet fans, fo incapable as aforefaid, fliatt, give his or
their Vote for Election of Members to ferve in Par-
liament, all and every fuch Perfon and Perfons fo
eltfting, Jhall lofe and forfeit one Tears Value of his
and
Of E N G L A N D. 133
*nd their refpeftive Real Eftates, and one full third Inter-regnum,
Part of bis and their refpefiive Perfonal EJlates ;
the one Moiety thereof to your Highnefs, and the **~~M~
ether Moiety to him or them who /hall fue for the
fame, in any Court of Record, by AcJion of Debty
Billy Plaint^ or Information, wherein no EJJoign*
Wager of Law, or Protection Jhall be allowed.
And that the Perfons who Jhall be elecJed to Jerve
in Parliament^ be /uch, and none other than fuch, as
are Perjons of known Integrity , fearing God, and of
food Converjation, and being of the Age of Twenty-
one Tears ; and not fuch as are difabled by the Aft of
the feventeenth Tear of the late King, intitled, An
A61 for difabling all Perfons in Holy Orders, to ex-
crcife any Temporal Jurifdi&ion or Authority, nor
fuch as are public Minifters, or public Preachers of
the Gofpel : Nor fuch as are guilty of any of the
Offences mentioned in an Afl of Parliament, bearing
Date the ninth of Auguft, 1650, intitled, An A61
againft ieveral atheiftical, blafphemous, and exe-
crable Opinions derogatory to the Honour of God,
and deftru&ive to human Society. No common
Scoffer, nor Reviler of Religion or of any Per Jon or
Perfons for profejjing thereof ; no P erf on that hath
married or foall marry a Wife of the Popijh Religion ;
or hath trained or JJiall train up his Child or Chil-
dren, or any other Child or Children under bis Tui-
tion or Government, in the Popijb Religion, or that
fiall permit or fuffer fuch Child or Children to be
trained up in the Jaid Religion; or that hath given
or Jhall give his Confent that his Son or Daughter
Jhall marry any of that Religion : No Perfon that
jhall deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God, or
the Sacraments, Prayer, Magiftracy, and Minijlry
to be the Ordinances of God ; no common Profaner
of the Lord's Day, nor profane Swearer or Curfer,
no Drunkard or common Haunter of Taverns or Ale-
houfes. And that thefe Qualifications, may be obfer-
ved, and yet the Privilege of Parliament maintain' d,
tve defire that it may be, by your IJigbnefs's Csn-
fent, ordained, That forty-one Commijjioners be ap-
pointed by AQ of 'Parliament ', who, or any fifteen »r
I 3 more
134 ffi*e Parliamentary HISTORY
inter-regnum. fftore of them, fliall be authorized to examine and try
whether the Members, to be defied for the Houfe of
Commons in future Parliaments , be capable to fit*
according to the Qualifications mentioned in this Pe-
tition and Advice ; and in cafe they find them not
qualified accordingly, then to fufpend them from Jit"
ting until/ the Houfe of Commons frail, upon hearing
of their particular Cafes, admit them to fit ; which
CemmiJJiontrs are to ftand fo authorized, for that
'End, untill the Houfe of Commons, in any future
Parliament^ /hall nominate the like Number of other
Commijffioners in their Places ; and thofe other Com-
mijfioners,fo to be nominated in any future Parliament,
to have the fame Powers and Authorities. Thxt the
faid Commijfioners /hall certify, in Writing, to the
Houfe of Commons, on the fir Jl Day of their Meeting,
the Caufes and Grounds of their Sufpenfeon of any Per-
fons fo to be eleEled as aforefaid : That the Accufa-
tion jhall be upon the Oath of the Informer, or forne
ether Per Jon : That a Copy of the Accufation jhall
be left by the Party accufing, in Writing under his
Hand, with the Party accufed, or, in his Abfence,
at his Houfe in the County, City, or Town, for which
he Jball be chofen, if he have any fuch Houje ; or if
not, with the Sheriff of the County, if he be chofen
for a County, or with the Chief Magiftrate of the City
or Borough for which he is chofen : And that the Num-
ber of Perjons to be elecJed and chojen to Jit and ferve
in Parliament, for England, Scotland, and Ireland,
and the Di/iribution of the Perlons Jo chofen within
the Counties. Cities, and Boroughs cf them refpec*
tively, may be according to fuch Proportions as foall
lie agreed upon and declared in this prefent Parlia-
ment.
V. That your Highnefs will confent, That none be
called to fit and vote in the Other Houfe, but fuch as
are not di/abled, but qualified according to the Qua-
lifications mentioned in the former Article, being fuch
as /hall be nominated by your Highnefs, and approved
by this Houfe ; and that they exceed not fevcnty in
Number, nor be under the Number of forty, (whereof
the Quorum to be twenty-one) who Jball not give any
Vote
Of E N G L A N D. 135
Vole by Proxies ; and that as any of them do die* ar Inter-re&num.
be legally removed, no new ones be admitted to Jit 57*
and Vote in their Rooms, but by Confent of the Houfe ~
'lf: That the Other Houfe do not proceed in any
Civil Caufes, except in Writs of Error ; in Cafes ad-
journed from inferior Courts into the Parliament for
Difficulty, in Cafes of Petitions again/1 Proceedings
in Courts of Equity, and in Cafes of the Privileges
cf their own Houfe : That they do not proceed in
any Criminal Caujes whatfoever, again/I anv Perfon
criminally , but upon an Impeachment of the Commons
ajjembled in Parliament, and by their Confent : That
they do not proceed in any Caufe, either Civil or
Criminal, but according to the known Laws of the
Land, and the due Courfe and Ciiftom of Parliament :
That no final Determinations or "Judgments be by
any Members of that Houfe, in any Caufe there de-
pending, either Civil, Criminal, or Mix'd, as Corh-
mijjioners or Delegates, to be nominated by that
Houfe ; but all fuch final Determinations and yudg-
ments to be by the Houfe itfelf, any Law or Ujags
to the contrary notwithstanding.
VI. That in all other Particulars which concern
the calling and holding of Parliaments, your High-
nefs will be pleafed, that the Laius and Statutes of
the Land be obferved and kept -, and that no Laws be
altered, fufpended, abrogated, or repealed, or new
Laws made, but by Act sf Parliament.
VII. And to the end there may be a conjlant Re-
venue for Support of the Government, and for the
Safety and Defence of thcfe Nations by Sea and Land,
we declare our fFillingnefs to fet\ "
Revenue of 1,300,000!. whereof I,COO,OOO 1. for
rignefs to fettle forthwith a yearly
the Navy and Army, and 300,000 1. for the Support
cf the Government, and no Part thereof to be raifed
by a Land-Tux ; and this not to be altered without
the Conjent of the Three EJJates in Parliament ; and to
grant fuch other Temporary Supplies, according as the
Commons ajfcmbled in Parliament fhall, from Time
to Timt, adjudge tJ^ NeceJJtties of thefe Nations to
require ; and do pray your Higbnc/s, that it be de-
clared and enaftcd, That no Charge ve laidy nor no
Per-
136 fhe Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. Perfon be competed to contribute to any Gift, Loan,
Benevolence, Tax, Tallage, Aid, or ether like Charge
without common Confent by AcJ of Parliament ; which
is a Freedom the People of thefe Nations ought, by
the Laws, to inherit.
VIII. That none may be added er admitted to the
Privy Council of your Highnefs or Succejfors, but
fuch as are of known Piety y and undoubted Affection
to the Rights of thefe Nations, and a juft Chrijlian
Liberty in Matters of Religion, nor without Confent
of the Council, to be afterwards approved by both
Houfes of Parliament ; and Jhall net afterwards be
removed, but by Confent of Parliament ; but may, in
the Intervals of Parliament, be fujpendedfrom the Ex-
ercife of his Place by your Highnefs or your Succejfors
and the Council for ju/i Caufe ; and that the Number
of the Council Jhall not be above twenty-one, where-
of the Quorum to be feven, and not under : As a/fa
that after your Highnefs1 s Death, the Commander in
Chief under your Succejfors, of fucb Army or Armies
as Jhall be necejfary to be kept in England, Scotland,
or Ireland, as alfa all fuch Field-Officers at Land,
cr Generals at Sea, which after that Time fliall be
newly made and conjlituted by your SucceJ)ors, be by
Confent of the Council, and not otherwife : And that
thejlanding Forces of this Commonwealth Jhall be dif-
pofed of by the Chief Magiftrate, by Confent of both
Houfes of Parliament, fitting the Parliament ; and, iti
the Intervals of Parliament, by the Chief Magiftrate,
iuith the Advice of the Council : And alfo that your
Highnefs (tnd Succejfors will be pleafed to exercife your
Government over thefe Nations by the Advice of your
Council.
IX. And that the Chancellor, Keeper or Commif-
fioners of the Great Seal of England, the Treafurer or
Commijjioners of the Treafury there, -the Admiral, the
Chief Governor of Ireland, the Chancellor, Keeper or
Commijjioners of the Great Seal of Ireland, the Chief
'Juftices of both the Benches, and the Chief Baron in
England and Ireland, the Commander in Chief of the
Forces in Scotland, and fttch Officers of State there,
as, by Afl of Parliament in Scotland, are to be appro-
ved by Parliament^ and the Judges in Scotland here-
after
Of E N G L A N D. 137
Hfter to be made, Jhall be approved of by both Houfes inter-regnum,
of Parliament. 7 6 5 7
X. And whereas your Highnefs, out of your Zeal to
the Glory of God, and the Propagation of the Go/pel
of our Lord Jefus Chrijl, hath been pleajed to encou-
rage a Godly Minijlry in thej'e Nations ; IV e earnejlly
dejire that juch as do openly revile them or their Af-
femblies, at dijiurb them in the IVorjhip or Service of
God) to the Dijhonour of God, Scandal of good Men*
or Breach of the Peace, may be punijhed according ta
Law : And where the Laws are defective, that your
Highncfs will give Confent to fuch Laws as Jhall be
made in that Behalf.
XI. That the true Protejlant Cbrijlian Religion,
as it is contained in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and
Nciv Tejlament, and no other, be held forth and of-
fer ted for the public ProfeJJion ofthefe Nations : And
a ConfeJJion of Faith to be agreed by your Highnefs
and the Parliament, according to the Rule and War-
rant of the Scriptures, be aj/erted, held forth, and re-
commended to the People of thefe Nations \ that none
may be fujfered or permitted, by opprobrious Words or
Writing, malic'toujly or contemptuoujly to revile or
troach the Confej/Jicn of Faith to be agreed upon as
aforefaid : And juch who profefs Faith in God the
Father, and in Jefus Chri/t his eternal Son the True
God, and in the Holy Spirit, God co-equal with the
Father and the Son, One God blejfed for ever; and do
acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Tejiament to be the revealed Will and Word of God9
and Jhall in other Things differ in DoElrine, IVorJhip,
or Difcipline, from the public ProfeJJion held forth,
Endeavours foall be ufed to convince them, by found
Doftrine, and the Example of a good Conversation :
But that they may not bt compelled thereto by Penal-
ties, nor reflrainedfrom their ProfeJJion; but protected
from all Injury and Molejlation in the ProfejJion of
the Faith, and Exercife of their Religion, whdji
they abufe not this Liberty to the civil Injury of others^
or the Dijlurbance of the public Peace ; Jo that this
Liberty be not extended to Popery or Prelacy, or to
the Countenancing fu(h who publijb horrible Blaf-
138 The Parliamentary Hrsf ORV
Jnter-regnum. phemies, or praftife or hold forth Licentloufnefs or
1657. Profanenefs under the Profeffion of Chrijl : And that
V""CV""'""^ thofe Mini/lers or public Preachers, who Jhall agree
with the public ProfeJJion aforefaid in Matters of
Faith) although in their Judgment and Practice they
differ in Matters of War/hip and Difcipline, Jhall
not only have Protection in the Way of their Churches
and Worfinp refpeflively, but be ejieemed jit and ca-
pable', (notwithstanding fuch Difference, being other-
wife duly qualified and duly approved) of any Trujl^
Promotion, or Employment whatjoever in thefe Na-
tions, that any Miniflers who agree in Doffrine, Wor-
Jhip, and Difcipline with the public Profeffion afore-
faid are capable of, and all ethers who agree with the
public Profeffion in Matters of Faith, although they
differ in Matters of Worjhip and Difcipline as
aforefaid, Jhall not only have Protection as aforefaid,
lut be ejieemed fit and capable (notwithftanding fuch
Difference, being otherwife duly qualified) of any
Civil Truji, Employment, or Promotion in thefe
Nations : But for fuch Perfons who agree not in
Matters of Faith tvitb the public ProfeJJion afore-
faid, they Jhall not be capable of receiving the public
Maintenance appointed for the Mini/fry. Provided,
That this Clauje Jhall not be conftrued to extend to
enable fuch Mini/far s or public Preachers, or Pajlors
of Congregations, but that they le di fabled, and they
are hereby difabled, to hold any Civil Employment,
which thofe in Orders were or are difabled to hold,
by an Aft, intitled, An A61 for difabling all Perfone
in Holy Orders, to exercife any Temporal Jurif-
diition or Authority. And that your Highnefs will
give your Confent, That all Laws, Statutes, Ordi-
nances, and Claufes in any Law, Statute, and Or-
dinance, fo far as they are contrary to the aforefaid
Liberty, be repealed.
XII. That all Acls and Ordinances of Parlia-
ment made for the aboli firing of Archbijhops and Bi-
foops, and for the abolijhing of Deans, Deans and
Chapters, Canons, Prebends, and ether Offices and
Titles of, or belonging to, any Cathedral or Colle-
giate Church sr Chapel -3 and for the Sale, or other
Dif-
Of ENGLAND. 139
Difpofetion of the Lands, iJ.etm, and Hereditaments Inter-iopm m.
unto any, or eituer of them, belonging j or for the
Sale or other Dijpojition of the Laqds, Rents, and
Hereditaments of the late fiing, Qnt<n, or Prince ;
or of the Lands cf Delinquents, l'\:e-l'\irtn or othtr
Rents, For eft- Lands, or any of them ; or any other
Lands, cfenemtnts, Rents, or Hereditaments, lately
belonging to the Commonwealth, foall no -way be im-
peached, but that they do remain good and firm ; and
that the Security given by Aft and Ordinance of Par-
liament, for uny Sum cr Sums of Monies, by any of
the /aid Lunds, the Excije, or by any other public
Revenue ; and alfo the Securities given by the Public
Faith of the Nation , and the Engagement of tfc
Public Faith for Satisfaction of Debts, may remain,
firm and good, and not be made void by any Pretence
whatfoever. \ \.jh
XI II. That all and every P erf on and Perfons, WHO
have aided, abetted, advifed, or ajfi/led in any War
againji the Parliament, Jince the pvft Day of Janu-
ary, 1641, (unlejs he or they have Jince borne Arms
for the Parliament, or your Highnefs, or otherwife
given fignal Tejttmony of his or their good Affeftion
to the Commonwealth, and continued faithful to the
fame) and all juch ai have been actually engaged in
any Plot, Con/piracy, or Dcjign, againjl the Perfon
of your Highnefs, cr in any Injurrettion or Rebellion,
in England or Wales, fence the ibtb of December,
1653. And for Scotland, that all and every Per-
fon and Perfons, who have been in Arms againjl the
Parliament of England, or again fl the Parliament in
Scotland, before the firjl Day of April, 1648, (ex-
cept fuch as have fince borne Arms in the Service of
the Parliament of England, or your Highnefs, or
given other fignal Tejlimony of their good Ajfeftion)
and every Perfon or Perfons that, fence the faid firft
Day of April, 1648, have been in Arms, or otherwife
aided, abetted, advtfed, or ajjifted in any Jfar againjl
the Parliament of England, or your Highnefs, (ex-
cept juch Perfons, who, having been in Arms, or other-
wijc abetted, advifed, or affifted in any ll'ar againjl
the Parliament of England, or your Highnefs, fence
the
140 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. the fir ft Day of April, j 648 J and were not in Arms
again/t the Parliament of England, or again/} the
Parliament of Scotland, before the firjl Day of April,
1648, and have, fence the fir ft Day of March, 1651,
Old Style, lived peaceably, and thereby given Tejlimony
of their good Affection to the Parliament, and your
Highnefs, be made incapable, for ever, of holding
or enjoying of any Office or Place of public Truft in
tbefe three Nations , or any of them.
Provided, That nothing in this Article contained
jhall extend to put any Incapacity in this Article men-
tioned^ upon any Englifli or Scots Protejlants in Ire-
land, who, before the firft Day of March, 1649,
have borne Arms for the Parliament or your High-
nefs, or otherwife given fignal Teftimony of their good
Affettion to this Commonwealth, and continued faith-
ful to the fame.
XIV. And that your Highnefs will be pleafed to
confent, That nothing in this Petition and Advice con-
tained^ nor your Higbnefs's AJJent thereto, Jhall be
the
tonflrued to extend to the diffbhing of this prefent
Parliament ; but that the fame Jhall continue and
remain, untill fuch Time as your Highnefs Jhall think
fit to dijfohe the fame.
XV. And that nothing contained in this Petition
and Advice, nor your Highnefs' s Confent thereunto,
/hall be conftrued to extend to the repealing or making
void of any Aft or Ordinance which is not contrary
hereunto, or to the Matters herein contained ; but
that the faid AcJs and Ordinances, not contrary here-
unto, Jhall continue and remain in Force, in fuch
Manner as if this prefent Petition and Advice had
not at all been had or made, or your Highnefs 's Con-
fent thereunto given.
XVI. And that all Writs ijjitcd out of the Chancery,
and all Writs and Patents of the 'Juftices of the one
Bench and of the other, Barons of the Exchequer,
Commijfions of Oyer and Terminer, Goal- Delivery,
and Jujiices of the Peace, and all other Commijfions,
Patents, and Grants, made and pajjed under the.
Great Seal of England, Scotland, or Ireland, Jhall
ft and good and effectual in the Laivt Wtvritbftanding
this
Of E N G L A N D. 141
this Petition and Advice, or your Higbnefs's AJJent
thereunto, or any Law, Statute, or Cujiom to the con-
trary : And that all tf^rits, and all CommiJJions, In-
diftments, Informations, Procefs, Aftions, Suits,
Bills or Plaints, taken out, or now depending, in any
Court cf Record at Weftminfter, or any other Court
of Record in England, Scotland, or Ireland, or in the
fown of Berwick upon Tweed ; and all Procefs,
Pleas, Demurrers, Continuances, and Proceedings, in
every Juch Writs, Indictments, Informations, Actions,
Suits, Bills, and Plaints, Jball be returnable, ftand
good and effectual, and be profecuted and fued firth,
in Juch Manner and Form, and in the fame State,
Condition, and Order, the Style and Tefle of Proceed-
ings, after paj/ing of tbefe Prefents, being made con-
formable thereunto ; this prefent Petition and Advice*
or your Highnefs' s AJJent thereunto, or any Law, Cnj-
tom, or Ufage to the contrary thereof in any wife not^
with/landing : And that any Variance that fiall be
eccajioned by reafon thereof, touching any of the faifi
Writs, Procefs, or Proceedings, in the Name, Style,
Tejle, or otherwife, Jhall not be in any wife material
m concerning any Default or Error to be alledged or
objefted thereunto.
XVII. And that your Highnefs and your SucceJ/ors
will be plea fed to take an Oath, in fuch Form as Jhall
be agreed ttpon by your Highnefs and this prefent Par~
liament) to govern thefe Nations according to tht
Law.
And in cafe your Highnefs Jhall not be fatisfed ta
give your Confent to all the Matttrs and Things in
this Humble Petition and Advice, that then nothing
in the fume be deemed of Force, to oblige the People of
thefe Nations in any the Particulars therein contained.
And thefe our Dejires being granted by your High-
nefs, we Jhall hope, through the rich Mercy and Good-
nefs of God, that it will prove fame Remedy to thofe
Dangers, Dijlrattions, and Dijlempers which thejr
Nations are now in, and he an effectual Means tt
remove thofe y^aloufies and Fecrs which remain in the
Minds of many Men concerning the Government of
this Commonwealth ; an* thereby vjf fia'.l bs enabled
142 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Liter-regnmn. and encouraged^ iv! tb all Chearfu'nefS) to the fettling
cffucb Things which Jhall be j urtb ;•- vecrj/xr? for the
Good cf thefe Nations ; and be mo ft ready to join with
you in promoting the IVork of Reformation happily be-
gun by \our Hivbnrfs, the regulating Courts of 'Ju-
jlice^ and abridging both the Delays and Charges of
Laiv Suits ; a fid a^piy ourfehes to Jttcb other Courfes
and Counfels as may be mnft like to heal our Breaches
and Diviftons, and io re It ore theje poor Nations to a
Union and Confiftenc** with tbemjefaes, and to lay a
Foundation of a further Confidence between your
Highnefs and them, to the Rejoicing of the Hearts of
our Friends, and Terror of our Enemies.
This being done, the Speaker, in the Name of
the Parliament, defired his Hig'hnefs's Confent to
the whole ; which was read, by the Clerk, in thefe
Words, The Lord Prcteftor doth conj'ent.
Alter all which his Highnefs made the following
Speech :
Mr. Speaker,
His Speech at « j Defire tQ offer Word ^ t unto
giving his Con- { I , . , .. .. , , TTT f
fent tbcreso. A which lhall be but a VV ord.
4 I did well bethink myfelf before I came hi her
' this Day, that I car,»e nor-as to a Triumph,'- but
* with the moil ferious Thoughts that ever I had
* in all my Life, to undertake oive of the greater):
* Tafks that ever was laid upon the Back of a hu-
« man Creature : And -I make no t^ue'tion but you
' will, and fo will all Men, readily ?r?ree wiih me
' that, without the Support of the Almighty, I
* fhall neceiTarily link under the 'Burden of it ; not
' only with Shame and Reproach to myfelf, but
' (with that that is more a thou'fand Times, and
* in Comparifon of which, I and my Family are,
'•' not worthy to be mentioned) with the Lofs and
* Prejudice of thefe three Nations.
' And, that being fo, I muii: a^-c your Help, and
' the Plelp of all thofe that feur God, that, by their
' Prayers, I may receive Afliftance from the Hand
' of God : His Prefence, going; along, will enable
* me
Of E N G L A N D. 143
e me to the Difchargc of fo great a Duty and Truft Intcr-regnum.
' as this is, and nothing elle can.
' Howbeit, I have fome other Things to defirc
* of you, I mean of the Parliament, That, feeing
' this is but, as it were, an Introduction to the car-
* ryi"g on of five Government of thefc Nations ; and
' forafmuch as there are many Things, which can-
' not be fupplLd, for enabling me to the carrying
4 on of this Work, without your Kelp and Aflift-
' ance ; I think it is my Duty to afk your Help in
6 them. Not that I doubted ; for I believe the
* fame Spirit that hath led you to this, will eafily
4 Jfuggeft the reft to you.
« The Truth is, and I can fay in the Prefence
* of God, that nothing would have induced me to
« have undertaken this unfupportable Burden to
* Flem and Blood, had it not been that I have
* feen, in this Parliament, all along, a Care of
* doing all thofe Things that might truly and really
* anfwer the Ends, that we have been engaged for.
' You have fatisfied me of your Forwardnefs and
* Readinefs therein fully already.
' I thought it my Duty, when your Committee,
* which you were pleated to lend to me, to give the
* Grounds and Reafons of your Procecings to help
4 to inform my Conference and Judgment ; I wa^
* then bold to offer to them feveral Confidence.
* which were received by them, and have been pre-
c fented to you: In Anfwer to which the Committee
* did bring me feveral Refolves of yours, which I.
6 have by me. I think thofc are not yet made fo
* authentic and authoritative as was clefired : And
' therefore, though 1 cannot doubt it, yet I thougU
' it my Duty to a(k it of you, that there may be :.
* Perfeaing of thofe Things.
' Indeed, as I (aid before, I have my Witnefs it'
' the Sight of God, that nothing would have bee:.
* an Argument to me (howfoever definable great
« Places feem to.be to other Men ; I fay nothin*
' would have been an Argument to me) to have
* undertaken this ; but, as I faid beYore, I fav.
* Things determined by you, as makes <.
'' th:-
Jnter-regnum.
1657.
May.
144 The Parliamentary HISTORY
the Liberties of the Nations, and for the Liberty,
and Intereft, and Prefervation of all fuch as fear
God ; of all that fear God under various Forms ;
and, if God make not thefe Nations thankful to
you, for your Care therein, it will fall as Fire
on their Heads : And therefore I fay that hath
been one main Encouragement.
' I confefs there are other Things that tend to
Reformation, to the Difcountenancing of Vice,
to the Encouragement of good Men and Virtue,
and the completing of thofe Things, alfo, concern-
ing fome of which you have not yet refolved any
Thing ; fave to let me know, by your Commit-
tee, that you would not be wanting in any Thing
for the Good of thefe Nations. Nor do I fpeak
it, as in the leaft doubting it ; but I do earneftly
and heartily defire, to the end God may crown
your Work, and blefs you and this Government,
that, in your own Time, and with what Speed
you judge fit, thefe Things may be provided for.'
May 26. The Houfe, after hearing the Report of
this Speech, ordered, That all the Votes and Refo-
lutions, relative to their Petition and Advice, ihould
be referred to a Committee, to perufe and metho-
dize them j and to prepare one or more Bills there-
upon.
The next Day Mr. Secretary Thurloe acquainted
the Houfe with the good Succefs the Lord had been
pleated to vouchfafe to the Fleet of this Nation, un-
£dvmg ddhoyedder the Command of General Blake, at the Port of
t ^eSpani/b Fleet Santa Cruz, on the iftand viTeneriffe, on the 20th
at SJHH Crux, of jfprill&&; at which Time the (aid Fleet fell in
xvith fix Spanijh Galleons, whereof were the Admi-
ral, Vice- Admiral, and Rear- Admiral, with rheir
Standards and Flag aloft j and fixteen other conft-
ilerable Ships, fome having Goods brought from the
Indies on board them, others who had taken in
Goods and Provifions to carry back again, moft of
them furnifhed with Brafs Ordnance, and their full
Companies of Seamen and Soldiers on board ; all
which were funk, blown up, or deftroyed. The
Par,
Of E N G L A N D. 145
Particulars thereof being read % the Houfe appoint- Inter-regmim.
ed the cnfuing IVednefday to be let apart for a Day J *
of public Thankfgiving to Almighty God, through- T^ne>
out London and Wcftminflcr, on this glorious Oc-
cafion. They alfo voted the Sum of 500 /. to beThc parj;amcnt
laid out in the Purchafe of a Jewel, to-be prefentedvotehimajewcl
to the Admiral as a Mark of Honour, and a Tefti- of 500 /. Value.
mony of the Lord Protector and the Parliament's ^
Refentment of his eminent and faithful Services for
this Commonwealth. They likewife ordered a
Letter of Thanks to the Admiral and Officers of
the Fleet, and a Prefent of ioo/. to Capt. Story,
who brought the News of this important Action. —
But the gallant Blake lived not long enough to re-
ceive thefe Marks of the Parliament's Refpecl; dy-
ing on board his own Ship, on his Return to Eng-
land^ at the very Entrance of the Fleet into the
Sound of Plymouth ; and leaving behind him the
Character of one of the greateft Admirals this Na-
tion ever bred. His Corpfe was brought up, by
Land, to Londcn, in great State; and Cromwell, to
encourage his Officers to venture their Lives for
their Country's Service, cauied it to be interred
with all poffible Solemnity, in Henry the Seventh's
Chapel, amongft the Monuments of our Kings.
It is remarkable, that as this magnanimous Admiral
lived at a Time when the Government was conti-
nually fliifting from Form to Form, he conftantly
inculcated to the Sailors, That it was no Concern of
theirs to intermeddle in the Difputes at home^ but to
make it their fole Bufmefs to Jupport the Honour and
Intereji of Great-Britain again/I Foreigners. And
to the Influence of this Maxim feems to be greatly
owing the amazing SuccelTes of the Eritijh Fleet
abroad, while the Nation was torn with intefiine
Divifions at home.
But to return :
On the 4th of June, the Committee appointed to
confidcr of the Refolutions of the Houfe, in relation
VOL. XXI. K
a The Account of this Viftory is amply related in Utat'-'
jwV/r, p. 391.
146 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter- regnum. to their Petition and Advice, having made their Re-
*^5> port, That they had thought it beft to put the fame
*— ~* J by way of additional Articles thereto, they were read
June' asfollows:
To his Highnefs the LORD PROTECTOR of the
Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ire-
land^ and the Dominions and Territories there-
unto belonging,
The HUMBLE ADDITIONAL and EXPLANATORY
PETITION and ADVICE of the4CNiGHTs, CITI-
ZENS, and BURGESSES now afTembled in the
Parliament of this Commonwealth.
Their Humble TnrrHereas, upon the Humble Petition and Advice
£xX°a"oryapde- V °f *he faid K™Sht*> C^z™*> ™d Burge/es,
tition and Ad- now ajfembhd in the Parliament of this Common-
vice to the Lord wealth, lately prefented and confented unto by your
Protestor. Highnefs, certain Doubts and ^uejlions have arifeny
concerning fame Particulars therein comprized ; for
Explanation thereof, may it pleafe your Highnefs to
declare and confent unto the Additions and Explana-
tions hereafter mentioned; and may it be declared with
your Highnefs' 's Confent,
In the FOURTH ARTICLE,
That fuck P erf on and Perfons as invaded England,
under the Duke of Hamilton, in the Year 1648, or
advifed, confented, affifled, or 'voluntarily contributed
unto that War, and were, for that Caufe, debarred
frcm public Trujl by the Parliament of Scotland, be
incapable to elett, or be elected to fit and ferve as
Members of Parliament, or in any other Place of
public Truft, relating unto the Fourth and Thirteenth
Articles in the Petition and Advice ; excepting fuch
as fence have borne Arms for your Highnefs or the
Parliament, or have been admitted to fit and ferve in
the Parliament of this Commonwealth, and are of good
Life and Converfation ; or fuch as Jhall hereafter be
declared by your Highnefs, with the Advice of your
Council, to have given fame Jignal Tejlimony of their
good AffecHan end Continuance in the fame.
That
Of E N G L A N D. 147
That the Provifo in the faid Fourth Article be ex-
flamed thus, viz. That fuch Englilh and Scots Pro-
teftants who (fence the Defection of the Earl of Or-
mond and the Lord Inchiquin, and before the frft
Day of March, 1649^ have borne Arms for, and
fver ftnce continued faithful to the Parliament or your
Highntfs } or have otherwife, before the faid firjl
Day of March, 1649, given fignal Tejlimony of their
good Affettion to this Commonwealth, and have ever
Jince continued faithful to the fame, J})all net ke de-
barred or deemed incapable of electing, or being defi-
ed to ferve in Parliament.
And whereas, in the faid Fourth Article, public
Minijlers, or public Preachers of the Gofpel, are dif-
abled to be eletted to ferve in Parliament ; // is here-
by explained and declared to extend to fuch Minijlers
and Preachers only as have Maintenance for Preach-
ing, or are Pajlors or Teachers of Congregations.
In the faid FOURTH ARTICLE.
That, inftead of Commissioners to be appointed, by
AcJ of Parliament, to examine and try whether the
Members to be elefied for the Houfe of Commons, in
futur'e Parliaments, be capable to fit according to the
Qualifications mentioned in the faid Petition and Ad-
vice, there Jhall be the Penalty and Fine of loool.
laid and infli&ed upon every fuch unqualified Member,
being fo adjudged by the faid Houfe of Commons, and
Jmprifonment of his Perfon untill Payment thereof.
And that all the Claufes for appointing fuch Comm'if-
fioners be absolutely void.
In the FIFTH ARTICLE.
That the Ntmination of the Perfons to fupply the
Place of fuch Members of the Other Houfe as Jhall die,
or be rcmwtd, Jhall be by your Highncfs and your
SuccfJJors.
In the SEVENTH ARTICLE.
That the Monies dirccled to be for the Suppfy of
the Sea and Land Forces, be ijjued by Advice of the
Council ; and that the Treafurcr or Commijfioners tf
the Treajitry Jhall give an Account of all the faid
Money to every Parliament.
K 2 Tlat
148 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. That the Officers of State and Judges, in the Ninth
1657. Article of the faid Petition and Advice mentioned,
C— --v— — f jhall be chofen, in the Intervals of Parliament, by the
June> Confent of the Council, to be afterwards approved by
Parliament.
That your Highnefs will be pleafed, according to
the Ufage of former Chief Magiflrates in thefe Na-
tions, and for the better Satisfaction of the People
thereof, to take an Oath in the Form enfuing :
I Do, in the Prefence, and by the Name, of God
Almighty, promife and fwear, That, to the ut-
termoft of my Power, 1 will uphold and maintain
the true Reformed Proteftant Chriftian Religion, in
the Purity thereof, as it is contained in the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament b, to the
uttermoft of my Power and Understanding, and en-
courage the Profeffion and Profeflbrs of the fame :
And that, to the uttermoft of my Power, I will en-
deavour, as Chief Magiftrate of thefe Three Na-
tions, the Maintenance and Prefervation of the
Peace and Safety, and of the juft Rights and Privi-
leges of the People thereof: And (hall in all Things,
according to my beft Knowledge and Power, go-
vern the People of thefe Nations according to
Law.
That your Highnefs's Succejfirs, do, lefore they
take upon them the Government of thefe Nations, take
an Oath in the Form aforefaid.
That all fuch Perfons who now are, or fnall here-
after be, of the Privy Council of your Highnefs or Suc-
cejfors, before they, or either of them, do aEi as Coun-
fellors, /hall rejpeftively take an Oath, before Perfons
to
b The Words in the Italic Charafler were added by CromtvelCs
own Defire, when the Committee appointed to draw up the Form of
this Oath waited upon him with a Copy thereof, by Order of the
Houfe, on the a5th of June. The fame Day it was refolved, That
the faid Oath be engrofled in a Roll of Vellum j and an Entry made
thereupon, of the Time and Place of his Highnefs's taking thereof:
And that the fame do remain, as a Record of Parliament, to be made
ufe of in future Times : And be alfo recorded in the four Courts of
Wejlminfter, <vt%, the Chancery, Upper- Bench, Common-Pleas, and
Exchequer,
Of E N G L A N D. 149
to be authorized by your Highntjs and Succeffors for Inter-regnum.
that Purpojl'y in the Form following. l6S7«
I A. B. do. in the Prefence, and by the Name of
God Almighty, promife and fwear, That to the
uttermolt of my Power, in my Place, I will uphold,
and maintain the true Reformed Proteftant Chriftiaa
Religion, in the Purity thereof, as it is contained in
the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament,
and encourage the Profeffion and Profeflbrs of the
fame : And that I will be true and faithful to his
Highnefs the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth
of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Domi-
nions thereto respectively belonging, as Chief Ma-
giftrate thereof : And (hall not contrive, defign, or
attempt any Thing, againft the Perfon or lawful
Authority of his faid Highnefs ; and fhall keep fecrct
all Matters that fhall be treated of in Council, and
put under Secrecy, and not reveal them but by
Command or Confent of his Highnefs, the Parlia-
ment, or the Council ; and fhall in all Things faith-
fully perform the Truft committed to me as a Coun-
fellor, according to the beft of my Underftanding,
in order to the good Government, Peace, and Wel-
fare, of thefe Nations.
That the fame Oath be taken by the Members of
your Highnefs' s Council of Scotland and Ireland.
That every Per/on who now is, or hereafter jhall
be, a Member of either Houfe of Parliament, before
he fit in Parliament, jhall, from and after the firjl
Day of July, 1657, take an Oath before Perfons to
be authorized and appointed by your Highnefs and Sue-
cejfors for that Purpofe, in the Form following.
I A. B. do in the Prefence, and by the Name of
God Almighty, promife and fwear, That to the
uttermoft of my Power in my Place, I will uphold
and maintain the true Reformed Proteftant Chriftian
Religion, in the Purity thereof, as it is contained in
the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament,
and encourage the Profeffion and Profeflbrs of the
K 3 fame:
150 The Parliamentary HISTORY
fame . And that j wj}[ be true and faithful to the
Lord Protestor of the Commonwealth of England,
Scotland^ and Ireland, and the Dominions and Ter-
ritories thereunto belonging, as Chief Magiftrate
thereof; and (hall not contrive, defign, or attempt
any Thing, againft the Perfon or lawful Authority
of the Lord Protector, and (hall endeavour as much
as in me lies, as a Member of Parliament, the Pre-
fervation of the Rights and Liberties of the People .
That your Highnefs would be pleafed, in convenient
Time, before the next Meeting of this Parliament , /»
caufe federal Summons, in due Form of Law, to be
ijjued forth to fucb Perfons as your Highnefs jhall
think fit) (being qualified according to the humble Pe-
tition and Advice of the Parliament^ whereto your
Highnefs hath consented) to fit and ferve as Members
in the Other Houfe of Parliament; by which ^umnwns
the f aid Perfons (hail be refpeRively commanded to be,
and perfonally to appear, at a certain Place and Time,
to be appointed by your Highnefs, to give their Advice
and AJfiftance, and to do fuch Things concerning the
great and weighty 'Affairs of this Commonwealth, as
to the Other Houfe of Parliament doth appertain, by
the faid humble Petition and Advice.
That the Perfons jo fummoned and ajfembled toge-
ther, Jhall be, and are hereby declared to be, the Other
Houfe of Parliament ; and fiall and may, without
further Approbation of this Houfe, from fucb Time
of their Meeting, proceed to do and perform all fuch
Matters and Things, as the Other Houfe of Parlia-
ment ought to do and perform ; and Jhall and may,
have and exercife, all fuch Privileges, Powers and
Authorities, as the Other Houfe of Parliament ot{ght,
by the afore faid humble Petition and Advice, to have
and exercife; the faid humble Petition and Advice ', or
any Ttring therein contained, to the contrary thereof
notwithstanding.
The Rifing of the Parliament being now near at
Hand, and many Bills got ready for the Lord Pro-
tedor's Affent, the gth of this Month was appointed
for
Of E N G L A N D. 151
for that Purpofe. About Eleven o'Clock that Day, Inter-regnum.
the Houfe received a Meflage from his Highnefs, . _L^^j
fignifying that he was then in the Painted Chamber, junc>
and dcfired to fpeak with them there. Accordingly
the Speaker, attended by the whole Houfe, went up
thither; and after a pithy and fhort Speech, (as the
^Journals exprefs it) touching the deliberate and
grave Proceedings of this Parliament, did, in their
Name, prefent his Highnefs with three Bills for an
Aficflment towards defraying the Charges of the
Spanijh WW, and other Occafions of the Common-
wealth*1; together with divers other Bills," fome of a
public, and others of a private, Concernment; be-
ing but, as he ftyled them, Grapes preceding the
full Vintage.
In the Afternoon, the Houfe being met again,
the Speaker reported the Lord Protestor's Speech,
made that Morning, upon prefenting the Bills,
which was to this Effect :
Mr. Speaker,
/Perceive that, among thefe many Acls of Portia- His Speech at
went, there hath been a very great Care had by g^"8 Money
the Parliament to provide for the jujl and neceffary
Support of the Commonwealth, by thofe Bills for the
levying of Money, now brought to me, which I have
given my Consent unto.
Under (landing it hath been the Praftice of thofe
who have been Chief Governors, to acknowledge, with
'Ihanks to the Commons, their Care and Regard of
the Public, I do very heartily and thankfully acknow-
ledge their Kindnefs herein.
The Houfe was ftill bufied, in feveral Commit-
tees, about framing divers Bills, both public and
private ; and fo continued every Day, Morning
and Afternoon, without any thing intervening
worth
h The Bills here referred to, were, for laying an Afleflment of
35,000 /. per Menfem upon England, 6000 /. upon Scotland, and
9000 /. upon Ireland, for three Years, from the 24th of June, 1657,
which is modeftly ftylcd a Temporary Supply towards the Mainte-
nance of the Armies and Navie* of this Commonwealth,
152 The Parliamentary HISTORY
inter-regnum. worth Notice, till the 25th of this Month : At
l657' which Time, having refolved upon a folernn In-
lk"""?v ' veftiture of their Lord Protector into his Office,
they gave Orders for a Robe of Purple Velvet lined
with Ermine, a Bible, a Scepter of maily Gold,
and a Sword of State, to be provided for his High-
nefs's Inveftitare.
The next Day, June 26, Sir Oliver Flemyng^
Mafter of the Ceremonies, was ordered to wait up-
on the feveral foreign Ambafladors and public Mi-
nifters of State, and invite them to be prefent at
the Ceremonial, which was performed with great
State and Magnificence.
There is but a very lame Account of this new Piece
of State Pageantry in the Journals^ or Contemporary
Writers: We therefore think proper, fince this
Affair was tranfadled in Parliament, the Speaker
and the whole Houfe attending, to exhibit the Nar-
rative thereof at large, as publifhed by the Protec-
tor's Authority.
An exaff RELATION of the Manner of the folemn
INVESTITURE, or happy INAUGURATION, of bis
Higbnefs the LORD PROTECTOR at Weftmin-
fter. d
The Manner of c TfRiday the 26th of June^ being agreed upon for
fo'SS'^rd11* the lnveftiture of his Highnefs the Lord Pro-
Proteftor by thete&or» an^ a large Place being raifed and prepared at
Parliament. the upper End of WeJlminJler-Hall for that Purpofe,
there
d The Frontifpiece, engraved by Hollar, is a Reprefentation of the
Manner of the Speaker's prefenting a Sceptre and Bible to Cromivell\
the Sword of State., and the Purple Robe, lying upon a Table before
him.
Lord Clarendon (Vol. VI. p. 597) reprefents the Solemnity of
Cromiueir^ Inauguration as the EfTedl of his own pcrfonal Contri-
vance and Management ; adding, That the Parliament had not only
not provided for the Formality thereof, but that they had not indeed
confidered of it; thinking enough had been done already for him.
This appears, by the Journals, to be a great Miftake ; for the Par-
liament actually appointed a Committee on purpofe to provide for and
rnarfhal the Ceremonial of the Inauguration. The Contemporary
, Hiftorjans have fallen into many Errors, which have been implicitly
followed by later Writers, for want of confulting thofe Fountains of
Authority, the Journal* of Parliament.
Of E N G L A N D. 153
there was in the Midft thereof, under the great Inter-regnunn.
Window, a rich Cloth of State fct up, and under
it a Chair of State placed upon an Afcent of two
Degrees, covered with Carpets ; and before it a
Table, with a Chair appointed for Sir Thomas Wid-
drington, the Speaker of the Parliament; and on
each Side of the Hall, upon the faid Structure, were
Seats raifed one above another, and decently cover'd
for the Members of Parliament ; and below them
Seats on one Side, for the Lords the Judges of the
Land, and on the other Side, for the Aldermen of
the City of London.
1 About Two of the Clock in the Afternoon his
Highnefs came from Whitehall by Water, and land-
ing at the Parliament Stairs, went up into the
Chamber called the Lords Houfe ; where having
retired himfelf a- while, Mr. Speaker and the Mem-
bers of Parliament being come to the Painted-
Chamber, his Highnefs attended by his Council, the
Officers of State, and the Judges, met them; and
gave his Confent to the Additional and Explanatory
Petition and Advice of the Parliament, to a Bill for
an Adjournment thereof to the 20th of January next,
and to all fuch other Bills as were then prefented
to him.
' From thence the Speaker, with the Members
of Parliament, departed to the great Hall at IVeft-
rmnfter, where they feated themlelves in the Places
provided for them.
' His Highnefs, after a (hort Retirement in a
Room near the Painted-Chamber, returned into the
Houfe of Lords ; the Lords Commiflioners of the
Great Seal, the two Lords Chief Juftices, the Ma-
fter of the Rolls, and the Judges, in the Interim,
placing themfelvcs on one Side of .the faid Houfe ;
and the Lord Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen of
the City of London, on the other. F'rom the faid
Houfe his Highnefs parted towards the Hall in the
Manner following :
4 In, the firft Place went his Highnefs's Gentle-
man and other Perfons of Quality ; next, an Officer
of
154 3^ Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter- regnum. of Arms going before the Recorder and Aldermen
of London in their Scarlets ; next, another Officer
of Arms went before Mr. Attorney-General and
the Lords the Judges in their Robes and Order ;
next them, Norroy^ King of Arms ; then four Ser-
jeants at Arms, with their Maces, going before the
.Lords Commiffioners of the Treaiury and of the-
Great Seal, (the Lord-Commiflioner Flennes bear-
ing the Seal) and the Lord-Prefident of his High-
nels's Council ; then came Garter, principal King
of Arms, before the Earl of Warwick^ who bore
the Sword before his Highnefs j on whofe Left
Hand went the Lord Mayor of London^ by his
Highnefs's fpecial Favour, bearing the City Sword ;
after whom came his Highnefs, being attended by
his Council, the Principal Secretary of State, and
divers of the Nobility and other Perfons of great
Quality.
' His Highnefs being entered on the Place, and
Handing under the Cloth of State, Mr. Speaker did,
in the Name of the Parliament, prefent feveral
Things, ready laid upon the Table, to his High-
nefs, viz. A Robe of Purple Velvet, lined with
Ermine, being the Habit antiently ufed at the fo-
lemn Inveftiture of Princes ; next, a large Bible,
richly gilt and bofs'd ; next, a Sword; and, laftly,
a Sceptre, being of mafly Gold ; which being fo
prefented, Mr. Speaker came from his Chair, took
the Robe, and therewith vefted his Highnefs, being
aflifted therein by the Earl of Warwick^ the Lord
Wbitlocke, and others : Which being done, the
Bible was delivered unto his Highnefs j after that,
Mr. Speaker girt about him the Sword j and, lartly,
delivered his Highnefs the Sceptre.
Thefe Things being performed, Mr. Speaker re-
turned unto his Chair, and adminiftered to the
Lord Protector the Oath, prepared by the Parlia-
ment, for that Purpofe f ; which he having taken,
the Speaker addrefied himfelf to his Highnefs in the
following Speech :
May
f Here follows the Form of the Oath, aheady given at p, 148.
Of ENGLAND. 155
May It pleafe your Higbnefs,
* TT'OU are now upon a great Theatre, in a Inter -regmm.
j[ large Chore of People. You have the Par-
liament or England, Scotland^ and Ireland before
you j on your Right Hand my Lords the Judges ;
and on your Left Hand the Lord Mayor, Alder-
men, and Sheriffs of London, the moft noble and
populous City of England. The Parliament, with
the Interpofition of your Suffrage, makes Laws ;
and the Judges and Governors of London are the
great Difpenfers of thofe Laws to the People.
« The Occafion of this great Convention and In-
tercourfe, is to give an Inveftiture to your High-
nefs in that eminent Place of Lord Prote&or : A
Name you had before; but it is now fettled by the
full and unanimous Confent of the People of thefe
Three Nations aflembled in Parliament. You have
no new Name, but a new Date added to the old
Name ; the 1 6th of December is now changed to
the z6th Qtjunt.
* I am commanded, by the Parliament, to make
Oblation to your Highncfs of four Things, in order
to this Inauguration.
4 The firft is a Robe of Purple; an Emblem of
Magistracy, and imports Righteoufnefs and Juftice:
When you have put on this Veftment, I may fay
(and I hope without Offence) that you are a Gown-
Man. This Robe is of a mix'd Colour, to ihew
the Mixture of Juftice and Mercy, which are then
moft excellent when they are well tempered toge-
ther. Juftice without Mercy is Wormwood and
Bitternefs ; and Mercy without Juftice is of too foft
a Temper for Government : For a Magiftrate muft
have two Hands, pleftentem et ampUttentem.
' The next Thing is a Bible ; a Book that con-
tains the Holy Scriptures, in which you have the
Honour and Happinefs to be well verfed. This is
the Book of Life, confifting of two Teftaments,
the Old and New. In the firft we have ChrijTum
velatum, Chi ift in Types, Shadows, and Figures;
in the latter we have Ckrijlum rtvelatum, Chrift re-
vealed.
156 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. vealed. This Book carries in it the Grounds of the
1657- true Chriftian Proteftant Religion ; it is a Book of
Books ; it contains in it both Precepts and Examples
for good Government.
4 Alexander fo highly valued the Books of his Ma-
fter Ariftoth, and other great Princes other Books,
that they have laid them every Night under their
Pillows. Thefe are all but Legends and Romances
to this one Book ; a Book to be had always in Re-
membrance ; I find it is faid in a Part of this Book,
which I (hall defire to read, and it is this :
Deut. xvii. And it /hall be when he fittetb upon
the Throne of his Kingdom, that he Jhall write a
Copy of this Law in a Book, out of that which is be-
fore the Pr ufis and Levites. And it Jhall be with
kirn, and he Jhall read therein all the Days of bis
Life, that he may learn to fear the Lord God, and
to keep all the Words of his Law, and thofe Statutes,
to do them.
That his Heart be not lifted up above his Brethren ;
and that he turn not afide from the Commandment,
to the Right Hand or to the Left, to the end he may
prolong his Days in his Kingdom, he and his Children
in the midjl 0/Ifrael.
' The next Thing that I am to offer to your
Highnefs is a Sceptre, not unlike a Staff; for you
are to be a Staff to the Weak and Poor. 'Tis of
antient Ufe in this Kind ; 'tis faid in Scripture, in
reference to Judah, the Royal Tribe, That the
Sceptre Jhall not depart from Judah. It was of like
Ufe in other Kingdoms and Governments : Homer,
the Prince of the Greek Poets, calls Kings and
Princes Sceptre-Bearers.
' The laft Thing is a Sword, not a Military, but
a Civil Sword ; a Sword rather for Defence than
Offence ; not to defend yourfelf only, but others
alfo. This Sword is an Emblem of Juftice. The
Noble Lord Talbot, in Henry the Sixth's Time,
wrote upon his Sword, Ego fum Talboti propter
occidendum Inimicos meos ; this gallant Lord was a
better Soldier than a Critic. If I might prefume to
fix
Of E N G L A N D. 157
fix a Motto upon this Sword, it fliould be this, inter-regnum.
Ego fum Domini Proteftoris, ad protegendum Po-
fulutn meum.
* I fay, this Sword is an Emblem of Juftice, and
is to be ufed as King Solomon ufed his, for the Dif-
covery of the Truth in Points of Juftice. I may
fay of this Sword as King David faid of Goliab's
Sword, There is none like this. Juftice is the proper
Virtue of the Imperial Throne, and by Juftice the
Thrones of Kings and Princes are eftabliihed.
Juftice is a Royal Virtue ; which, as one faith of it,
doth employ the other three cardinal Virtues in her
Service.
1. ' Wifdom, to difcern the Nocent from the In-
nocent.
2. i Fortitude, to profecute and execute.
3. « Temperance, fo to carry Juftice that Paf-
fion be no Ingredient, and that it be without Coa-
fufion or Precipitation.
' You have given ample Teftimony in all thefe
Particulars ; fo that this Sword, in your Hand, will
be a right Sword of Juftice, attended with Wifdom,
Fortitude, and Temperance.
' When you have all thefe together, what a
comely and glorious Sight it is to behold a Lord
Protestor in a Purple Robe, with a Scepter in his
Hand, a Sword of Juftice girt about him, and his
Eyes fixed upon the Bible ! Long may you profper-
oufly enjoy them all, to your own Comfort, and
the Comfort of the People of thefe Three Nations.'
' His Highnefs ftanding thus adorned in Princely
State, according to his Merit and Dignity, looking
up unto the Throne of the Moft High, who is
Prince of Princes, and in whom is all his Confi-
dence, Mr. Manton^ by Prayer, recommended his
Highnefs, the Parliament, the Council, his High-
nefs's Forces by Sea and Land, the whole Govern-
ment, <uid People of thefe Three Nations, to the
Blefling and Protection of God Almighty.
' After this the People giving feveral great Shouts,
and the Trumpets founding, his Highnefs fat down
in
The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. in the Chair of State, holding the Scepter in his
Hand.
' At the Right Elbow, by his Highnefs's Chair,
fat his Excellency the Lord AmbafTador Extraordi-
nary of France i ; at the Left, his Excellency the
Lord Ambaflador Extraordinary of the States Ge-
neral of the United Provinces k : On the Right Side
of the Chair flood the Earl of Warwick, bearing the
Sword ; and on the Left Side the Lord Mayor of
London^ with the City Sword: Near to his High-
nefs flood the moft Noble Lord, the Lord Richard
Cromwell; his Excellency the Lord Fleetwood, Lord-
Deputy of Ireland; the Rt. Hon. the Lord Cleypole*
Mafter of the Horfe; his Highnefs's Council, and
all the Officers of State attending. There flood
alfo upon the lower Defcent, near the Earl of War-
wick ^ the Lord Vifcount Lijle and General Mon-
tagu; and on the other Side the Lord Whitlocke^
each of them bearing a drawn Sword.
' While his Highnefs thus fate, a Herald flood
up aloft, giving Signal to a Trumpet to found three
Times ; after which he did, by Authority and Di-
rection of Parliament, there publilh and proclaim
his Highnefs Lord Protector of the Commonwealth
of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Domi-
nion* thereunto belonging, requiring all Perfons to
yield him due Obedience.
' Hereupon the Trumpets founded, and the
People made feveral great Acclamations with loud
Shouts, God fave the Lord Proteflor. Then an Of-
ficer of Arms, ftanding upon the Top of the Stairs,
made Proclamation again after the fame Manner j
which was followed with Shouts and loud Acclama-
tions as before.
« After a little Paufe, the whole Ceremony be-
ing ended, his Highnefs faluting the Ambaffadors
and public Minifters, r proceeded thence in his
Princely Habit, the Train whereof was borne up by
feveral
i M. De Bordeaux. " fc M. De Nieuport. Though the Parliament
had invited all the foreign Minifters, yet only thefe two attended at
the Ceremonial. It appears, from Thurlees Stan ftftrs, tk»t their
Prefencc was highly acceptable to Cnmwell.
Of E N G L A N D. 159
leveral Noble Pcrfons ; among whom was the Earl inter-regnum.
of Warwick's Grandfon0, the Lord Sherrard, and 1657.
the eldeft Son of the Lord Roberts of Truro. The ^"" "« J
Aldermen, Recorder, the Judges, with the Officers
of State, and the reft, proceeded in the fame Order
as they came from the Houfe of Lords, and parted
through the Hall to the great Gate leading into the
New Palace-Yard^ where his Highnefs entered into
his Coach of State, being in his Kobes. The Earl
of Warwick fat in the other End of the Coach, and
the Lord Richard Cromwell and the Lord IWritlockf
&n one Side, the Lord IVhitlocke having one of the
drawn Swords in his Hand. On the other Side fat
the Lord Vifcount Lijle and General Montague,
bearing the other two drawn Swords in their Hands.
The Lord Cleypole, Matter of the Horfe, led the
Horfe of Honour in rich Caparifons ; the Coach was
attended by his Highnefs's Life-Guards, and other
Guards, with the Officers of Arms on Horfeback ;
the Officers of State, Judges, Lord Mayor, and
Aldermen, all waiting on his Highnefs in their
Coaches to Whitehall ; the whole being managed
with State and Magnificence, fuitable to fo high
and happy a Solemnity.'
The Ceremonial being over, the Members re-
turned to their Houfe, and made an Order for re-
commending it to the Lord Protector, as the Defire
of Parliament, that his Highnefs would be pleafed
to encourage all Chriftian Endeavours for uniting
the Proteftant Churches abroad j alfo to take fome
effectual Courfe, upon Advice with the Judges, for
reforming the Government of the Inns of Court,
providing a fufficient Maintenance for the Encou-
ragement of godly and able Minifters there, and
for reviving the Readings, and keeping up Exercife,
by the Students in thofe Seminaries of the Law.
They alfo made an Order for printing all the public
Acls and Ordinances then in Force, from the 3d of
November, 1640, under the Care of Mr. Scobell,
their
Hon. Rttert Rich, who afterwards married Cromwell's Daughter
1 6 o The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter- regnum. their Clerk ; and then, purfuant to an AcT: figncd
'by the Protector that Morning, adjourned to the
~ 2Oth of January enfuing.
The Seafon of the Year now demanded a Recefs ;
and there being a gi;eat Number of ufeful Bills de-
pending at this Time, which would have been loft
by a Prorogation, the Houfe took this Method to
continue them over to their next Meeting.
The moft remarkable Acts to which the Protec-
tor gave his Confent, befides thofe already men-
tioned in the Courfe of the Proceedings of this Par-
liament, were thefe :
The Parliament For punijhing of wandering, idle^ and diflblute
adjourned. Perfons : By this Act, all fuch as were found wan-
dering from their ufual Place of Abode, without
fuch fufficient Caufe as the Juftice of Peace before
whom they were brought (hould approve, although
not taken in the Aft of Begging, were declared to
be Rogues and Vagabonds within the Statute of
39. Elizabeth^ Cap. 4. and to be profecuted as fuch.
This Acl was alfo to extend to all Fidlers and Min-
ftrels, playing in any Inn, Alehoufe, or Tavern, or
offering themfelves to play in any fuch Places.
Another, For punijhing fuch Perfons as lived at
high Rates, having no vifible E/latey Profejjion, or
Calling anfwerable thereto : The Preamble to this
A61 fets forth, That feveral idle and diflblute Per-
forjs maintained themfelves by cheating, debauch-
ing, and deceiving the young Gentry and others of
the Commonwealth; and then impowers Juftices of
Peace to fend for the Offenders, and require Sure-
ties for their Appearance at the next Quarter Sef-
fion, to be there indicted for living at a high Rate,
without any vifible Eftate or Calling anfwerable
thereto ; and, if convicled, to be fent to the Houfe
of Correction for three Months. Perfons winning
Money at Cards, Dice, Tennis, Cock-fighting,
Horfe-racing, or any other Game, were to forfeit
double the Value'of Money or Goods fo won; and
all Securities whatfoever, given for Money loft at
Play, to be abfolutely void.
An
Of ENGLAND. 161
An Act For fettling the Poftage of England, Scot- Intcr-regnum.
land, and Ireland. It is well worth obferving, l657-
That, upon the third Reading of this Bill, a Pro- t""""'"
vifo being offered for freeing Members of Parlia-
mcnt, and other Officers of State, from Payment
of any Money for Letters ; the fame, as the Jour-
nals inform us, was rejected without a Queftion !
There were alfo Acls palled for taking away of
Purveyance and Compofition for Purveyance: For
limiting and fettling the Prices of Wines: For con-
tinuing and eftablifhing the Subfidy of Tonnage and
Poundage : For better Obfervation of the Lord's
Day : For convicting, difcovering, and repreffing
Popifh Recufants : For indemnifying fuch Perfons
who had acted for the Service of the Public : For
improving and advancing the Revenues of the Excife
and Cuftoms : For giving Licence to export Fifh
in foreign Bottoms : And for preventing the Mul-
tiplicity of Buildings in and about the Suburbs of
London, and within ten Miles thereof.
The lafl Act we (hall here mention, was, For
confirming certain A 51 3 and Ordinances, as alfo Or-
ders of the Lord Protestor and his Council, and for
repealing of others which had been made between the
2?tb <7/"April, 1653, and the Meeting of this Parlia-
ment the I jth of September, 1656. The Preamble
to this Act is very remarkable, and runs thus :—
' Whereas, fmce the 20th of April, 1653, in tne
great Exigencies and Neceffities of thefe Nations,
divers Acts and Ordinances have been made, with-
out the Confent of the People aftembled in Parlia-
ment, which is not according to the Fundamental
Laws of thefe Nations and the Rights of the
People, and is not for the future to be drawn into
Example, yet the Actings thereupon tended to the
Settlement of the Eftatcs of feveral Perfons and Fa-
milies, and the Peace and Quiet of the Nations, &c.'
And then the Act recites the Titles of all fuch Or-
dinances and Ordeis of Cromwell as were to be
decm'd valid for the future, and declares all others
to be abfolutely void,
VOL. XXI. L « The
1 62 The Parliamentary HISTORY ,
inter-regnum. The Perufal of this long Catalogue of public-fpj-
rited Acts, is a fufficient Evidence that many of the
Members had employed their Time in Projects
much better calculated to advance the Honor and
Intereft of the Nation, than the Eftabliminent of
Cromwell^ Protectorate.
Remarkable E- Before we refume the Proceedings of this Parlia-
vents during ment, it will be proper to' take Notice of the moft
t eir ece s. remarkable Transactions that happened between the
Rrfing of the Houfe and their next Meeting.
On the firft of July, Cromwell was proclaimed
Lord Protector, in London, at the ufual Places, and
with as much Magnificence as if he had actually
accepted the Crown : The fame was, afterwards,
done at Edinburgh and Dublin, and throughout the
Three Nations. l
Being thus poflefs'd of the Sovereign Power,
and having infured his own Greatnefs, he thought
it neceflary to diftinguim. his Family by Titles
of Honour and Preferment. Accordingly, in pur-
fuance of this Plan, his eldeft Son, Richard, was,
upon his own Refignation of the Office of Chanrcel-
lor of the Univerfity of Oxford, inftalled therein,
on the 2Qth of this Month, with great Solemnity :
In the next, he was fworn a Privy Counfellor, made
a Colonel in the Army; and, not long after, the firft
Lord of the Other Houfe.
On the i ith of November, the Protector's young-
eft Daughter, Frances, was married to the Hon. Ro-
bert Rich, Son of Lord Rich, and Grandfon of the
Earl of Warwick m. There had been, fome few
Months before, a private Negotiation on Foot, for
a Marriage between this Lady and the exiled King
Charles, under the Conduct of Lord Eroghill; who
was
* Cram-well, while he was only Lord-General of the Parliament's
Forces, bore for his Creft a Demi-Lion, holding in his Paw a Hal-
bert, or General's Pike. After he was made Lord Proteftor, he
took away the Halbert, and gave the Demi- Lion, holding a Diamond
Ring in hit Right Paw, to fignify his political Marriage to the Imperial
Crown of the Three Kingdoms. This appear; from a Comparifon of
his Sign Manual when Lord-General, with another Sign Manual c*~
his when Lord Proteftor. Peck's Memrnrt of Cromwell.
n» Cram-well gave her 15,000 /. Fortune, fbvrlte, V»lt VI,
Of E N G L A N D. 163
"was not only very high in Cromwell's Confidence, Inter-regnum.
but had Addrefs enough to procure the young King's ] "
Confent to fuch a Treaty. And altho' no Men- ^ov^iJZ^
tion is made of this Affair by Lord Clarendon, who,
for the Honour of the King his Matter, might be in-
duced to pafs it over in Silence ; yet the under-cited
Authorities feem to put this Matter out of doubt. n
L 2 On
n Biftiop Burnet writes, < That the Earl of Orrery [then Lord
£rofbi/l] told him, ' That, coming one Day to Crotirwellt during
the Time of the Heats about the Propofal for his Acceptance of the
Crown j and telling him, He had been in the City all Day, the Pro-
tector a/k'd him, What News he had heard there ? The other an-
fwercd, That he was told his Highnefs was in Treaty with the King,
who was to be reftored, and to marry his Daughter. Cronnvell ex*
prefiing no Indignation at this, Lord Orrery faid, In the State to
which Things were brought, he faw not a better Expedient : They
might bring him in on what Terms they pleafed : And Cromwell
might retain the fame Authority he then had, with lefs Trouble. To
which he anfwering, The King can never forgive his Father's Blood,
Orrery faid, The Protestor was one of many that were concerned in
that, but he would be alone in the Merit of reftormg him. To
which Cromwell replied, He is fo damnably debauched, he would un-
do us all ; and fo turned to another Difcourfe, without any Emo-
tion j which made Lord Orrery conclude he had often thought of that
Expedient.' Hijiory of bit own Tivei, Vol. I. p. 69.
Mr. Morrice, Chaplain to the Earl of Orrery, in his Life of that
Lord, relates this Affair with many additional L'j re urn fiances. We
frail therefore cite the whole Narrative thereof, at large, in his own
Words.
' After the Wart of 'Ireland were1 finifhed, and that Kingdom fettled,
Cram-well being made Lord Protestor, a Parliament was called j the
Members of which were taken out of the Three Kingdoms, whereof
Lord Bregbill was one.
* His Lordfhip had, now and then, Opportunities of a fecret Cor-
refpondence with fome Perfons about the King, by whom he had
founded his Majefty's Inclinations, which were favourable to aDefign
of making a Match betwixt him and one of Cr«wuW/'s Daughters,
the Lady Franca, as I remember j to promote which he had Order*
to do whatever lay in his Power : Thus, having his Majefty's Leave,
he took a fit Occafion to move it to CremweU, which he did in the
following Manner:
' He firft acquainted Cram-weir* Wife and Daughter with his De-
lign, and then caufed a Rumour of it to be fpread abroad in the
Town j and, one Day, coming out of the City, and going to Crom-
well's Clofet, Cromwell immediately came to him ; and, walking
with him alone, he aflt'd, Where he had been ? My Lord anfwer'd,
In the City. Crtmwll afle'd him, What News there ? My Lord an-
fwer'J, Very ftrange News. Croarwcll earneftly inquiring what it
wai, my Loid detained him a while, only by repeating, It taasjlrange
Newt, and feruling at the fame Time. Crottvoell, by the Delay, be-
came more earned to know it. My Lord, at laft, replied, That
perhaps he would be offended to hear it. Crtmvuell, not enduring
any
1657.
NOTCH) ber.
164 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. Qn the iQth of this Month, the Proteaor's third
Daughter, Mary^ was married to the Lord Faucon-
lerg, at Hampton-Court : And, on the 25th, his
younger Son, Henry, was appointed Lord-Deputy
of Ireland.
About
any longer Delay, aflured him he v.-ould net, and therefore conjured
him to tell it. Upon that, in a jocular Way, my Lord told him, all
the News in the City was, That he was going to marry his Daughter
Frances to the King. Cromwell then, with a merry Countenance,
afk'd him, And what do the Foo/s think of it ? My i/otd then replied,
All liked it, and thought it the -wifefl Thing he could do, if he could
accomplljb it. Upon that Cromwell made a Stand ; and, looking
ftedfaftly in my Lord's Face, afk'd him, And do you believe Jo too?
His Lord/hip, feeing him a little moved, anfwered, He did believe
it was the befl Thing he could do to fecure himfelf.
' CrotKtvell then walk'd up and down the Room, with his Hands
b?hind him, in a very thoughtful Manner ; and at laft afk'd my Lord,
What Reafon he had to be of that Belief? His Lordihip repi'efented
to him, how little he could confide in thofe cf his own Party, be-
ing, upon every Occafion, fubjeft to murmur and repine j how un-
likely it was for him to continue long in that Grandeur, the very
fame Perfons who fet him up, being willing to pull him down ; and,
on the other Hand, the King, in his great Exigencies, would be
ready enough to hearken to any Proportion, rather than live in Exile,
fo that he might make his own Terms with him, and be the General
of all the Forces during Life: The Loyal Party would readily join
•with him in the Work} and if his Daughter had Children by the
King, which was likely enough, he would thereby be endeared to
King and Country, and would have fuch Intereft in the Crown, that
Nobody could ever attempt any thing againft him ; having a King
his Son-in-Law, an Heir Apparent to the Crown his Grandfon, and
the whole Power of the Nation in his own Hands ; by all which his
Greatnefs would be for ever eflablifhed : Whereas, if he neglected
thefe Means, he could not expect to tranfmit his Greatnefs to the
next Heir, and perhaps would hardly be able to preferve it during his
own Life.
' Cromwell gave great Attention to thefe Reafons ; but, walking
two or three Turns, and ponderine within himfelf, he told Lord
Brogbill, The King would never forgive him the Death of his Father.
His Lord/hip defired him to employ fomebodv to found the King in
this Matter, to fee how he would take it, and offered himfelf to me-
diate in it for him : But Cromwell would not confent, but again re-
peated, The King cannot, and iviil not, forgive the Death of his Fa'
tber ; and fo he left his Lordfhip, who durft not tell him he had al-
ready dealt with his Majefty in that Affair.
« Upon this my'Lord withdrew, and meeting Cram-weir* Wife and
Daughter, they inquired how he had fucceeded ; of which having
given them an Account, he added, They muft try their Intereft in
him; but none could prevail, Guilt lay fo heavy upon him, that
he thought there could be no Reconciliation j and fo that Bufinefs
broke off.'
Colleftien of Lard Orrery 'j State Litters, before cited, p. *z.
Of ENGLAND. 165
About this Time Advice was received of Mardyke Inter-regnum.
being taken from the Spaniards, by the united For- l6S'
ces of England and France, and put into the PofTef- TT^T
f r \ it • /"i i ** r LTT/- r December,
fion of Major-General Morgan, for the Ufe of
Cromwell, purfuant to an Oftenfive and Defenfive
Treaty, between the two Nations, againft Spain.
Few Princes ever bore their Character higher,
than Oliver Cromwell in his Treaties with Crowned
Heads : A very remarkable Inftance of which we
have in the League before us ; wherein he would
not allow the French King to call himfelf King of
France, but of the French ; whereas he took to
himfelf not only the Title of Protector of England*
but likewife of France. And, which is yet more
furprifmg, in the Inftrument of this Treaty, the
Protector's Name was put before that of the French
King's. c
In the Beginning of December, Cromwell, in pur-
fuance of an Addrefs from his Parliament, on the
Day of their Adjournment, fent an Agent to the
D*uke of Savoy, to negotiate in favour of that Prince's
Proteflant Subjects in Piedmont. And,
On the loth of this Month, the Protector, ac-
cording to the Powers vefted in him by the Humble
Petition and Advice, nominated Another Houfe of
Parliament, to fit and do Bufmefs in Imitation of
the Houfe of Lords. The Commiffioners of the
Great Seal, with the Advice of the Judges, had
been ordered to prepare a Writ for fummoning the
Members of this Other Houfe, directed to fuch
Perfyns as the Lord Protector, under his Sign Ma-
nual, mould appoint. The Form of the faid Writ
was as follows :
L 3 OLIVER,
c Id, porro, Bellum Proteftoris in Hi/fanos adeo opportunum Gal-
lo accedebat, ut fummo Studio iftum Foedore fibi innc&ere ftuderet j
ctiam concerto, ut Crenrwellut eundcm Gallorum Regent, non Gallia-
ruht, nuncuparet ; alias ipfc I'roteftoris, quoque Francis, vocabulum,
ficut slnglix aH'umpturus : Simul pateretur Cronewellum Inftrumento
fuo Nomen, Titulumque, ante Gallicutr., ponere.
Puffer.d<>rff dc Rebut Gejlit Fredtrici Wilbclmi, EIe£J»rit BranJen-
burgici, p. 313,
1 66 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. /^\LIVER, Lord Proteftor of the Commonwealth
1657. \J^ of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the
*— v»j Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging : To
December. our Trujly and beloved Son, Lord Richard Cromwell ,
Greeting.
Cr«mw//'s Writ Whereas, by the ddvice and JJJent of our Council,
hh HraTof0* for Mr tain great and -weighty Affairs concerning us and
Lords, the State and Defence of the faid Commonwealth >, We
ordained our prefent Parliament to be held at our City
of Weftminfter, the ijtb Day of September, in the
Year of our Lord 1656, and there to confult and ad-
vife with the Knight st Citizens., and Burgejfes of our
faid Commonwealth ; which Parliament was then and
there held, and continued untill the 2.6th Day of June
la ft pajt, and then adjourned untill the zoth Day of
January now next coming: Therefore we command
and firmly enjoin you, that, confidering the Difficulty of
the faid Affairs and imminent Dangers, all Excufes
leing fet ajide, you be perfonally prefent at Weftmin-
fter aforefaid, the faid 2Oth Day of January next
coming* there to treat, confer, and give your ddvice
with us, and with the Great Men and Nobles in and
concerning the djfairs aforefaid : And this, as you
love our Honour and Safety, and the Defence of the
Commonwealth aforefaid, you Jhall in no wife omit.
Witnefs Ourfelf at Wejlminfler^ the loth Day of
December •, 1657.
Mr. Whitlocke writes, c That, amongft the Mem-
• bers of this New Houfe of Lords, were many Noble-
men, Knights, and Gentlemen, of antient Families
and good Eftates, intermix'd with fome Colonels
and Officers of the Army c.' Mr. Ludlow, though
he admits that there were, in this Aflembly, feveral
of the antient Nobility, together with fome of the
Gentry, who had confiderable Eftates derived to
them from their Anceftors, yet affirms that the prin-
cipal Part of them were fuch as had procured their
prefent Pofleffions by their Wits, and were refolved
to enlarge them, by felling their Confcienccs to
Cromwell, for the Purchafe of his Favour d. But
c Memoriglt, p, 665. * Memoirs, Vol. II, p, 595.
Of ENGLAND. 167
<he Characters of the Members of this Unconftitu- Inter-regaum.
tional Body, will bcft be known by exhibiting a Lift
of them c ; obferving, by the Way, That tho' the
Protedor had rcfufed the Title of King, yet the
Regal Style, as Ourftlf, Our Great Seal, Our Fleet,
Our Army, 6fr. is made ufe of in the refpe&ive
Writs iiTued on this Occafion, viz.
1657.
December.
Lord Richard Cromwell,
Lord Henry Cromwell,
Nathaniel Fienncs, one of
the Lords Commif-
fioners of our Great
Seal,
John Lijle, one of the
Lords Commiffioners
of our Great Seal,
Henry Lawrence, Prefi-
dent of our Council,
Claries Fleelwood, Lieu-
tenant-General of our
Army,
Edmund, Earl of Mul-
grave,
Robert, Earl of War-
wick,
Edward, Ear! of Man*
chejler,
William, Lord Vifccunt A Lift of them.
Say and Sele,
TkomaSf Lord Faucon-
berg,
Charles, Lord Vifcount
Howard, ofMorpeth, f
Philip, Lord Wharton,
Lord John Cleypole, Ma-
fter of our Horfe,
John Dejbrough, one of
the Generals of our
Fleet,
Edward Montague, one
of the Generals of our
Fleet, and Lord Com-
miflioner of our Trea-
fury,
IVilliam Sydenham, one of
the Lords Commif-
fionersofourTreafury,
Bulftrode
« Cromwtll was under ib great Embarraffmcnt whom to fix upon
for conftituting this Other Houfe of Parliament, that, in a Letter
from Tburloe to Hotiy Cromwell, in Ireland, of the ift of this Month,
the Secretary aflured him there was not then any one Perfon fully re-
folved on, and nobody was able to fay who they fhould be (the Diifi-
r i!-.y proving great between thofe who were fit, and not willing to
fcive; and thofc who were willing, and expected it, but were not
fit) ; although there were then but eight Days left for the final Refo-
lution, there being a Neceflity for ifliiing the Writs forty Days before
the Meeting of the Parliament.
State Paptn, Vol. VI. p. 648.
f So created by Cram-well, the loth of July, 1657 ; and, upon the
Reiteration, advanced to Uxe Dignity of Earf of CtrJiJIf,
j68
Parliamentary HISTO.RY
Jnter-regnum. Buljlrode Ifhitlocke, one
1657.
— V"
December.
of the Lords Commif-
fioners of our Treafu-
r7»
Sir Charles Wolfeley, Bart.
Walter Strickland, Efq;
Philip Skippon, Efq;
Francis Rous, Efq;
'John Jones, Efq;
George, LordEure,
Edmund Thomas , Efq;
Sir William Strickland,
Bart.
*70£n Fiennes, Efq;
Sir /Vrfwm £«^*/, Bart.
P£:7/>, Vifcount LiJJe,
Sir Thomas Honey wood,
Sir Arthur HaJIerigge,
Bart.
Sir y»A» Hobart, Bart.
Sir Richard Onflow y Knt.
Sir Gilbert Gerrard,
Bart.
•}• Sir IVilliam Roberts,
Knt. f
7<?£« (?#»»*, Lord Chief
Juftice of the Upper
Bench,
O/rW to. 7^»» Lord
Chief Juftice of the
Common Bench,
William Pierepoint, Efq;
John Crew, Efq;
Alexander Popham9 Efq;
Philip Jones, Efq;
t Sir /totfw Lockbart,
Knt.
f Sir Chrijlopher Packe,
And
f Sir Robert Tichburne^
. Knights, and Aldermen
of our City of London^
Edward Whalley, Com-
miflary-Generalofthe
Horfe,
f Sir John Bark/lead,
Knt. Lieutenant of the
'Tower,
f Sir Thomas Pride, Knt.
John Clerke, LL. D.
Richard Ingcldjby, Efq;
f S\r John Hew/on, Knt.
James Berry, Efq;
/•raww Gc/>, Efq;
George Moncke, Com-
mander in Chief of
our Forces in Scotland.
David, Earl of Co/fills,
Archibald John/Ion^ of
Warijlon,
jniliam S fee ft, Chancel-
lor of Ireland,
Roger, Lord Broghill,
f Sir Matthew Tomlin-
fon, Knt.
Sir Gilbert Pickering^
Bart.
•f- Sir George Flectwocdy
Knt.
Thomas Cooper, Efq;
William Lenthal, Mafter
of the Rolls in our
Chancery,
Richard Hampden, Efq; g
The
f The Perfons diftinguiflied thus f were knighted by Cromtvell.
8 In a Catalogue of the Members of this Aflembly, lent by Secre-
tary Tburloe to Lockbart, then Ambaflador in France, the Number is
only 58, the five laft being omitted. Wbitlockes Memorials, Dug-
dalSs yiew of thi Troubles, Heath's Chronicle, and others, make
them only 61 ; but the Lift, as above given, was publifhed in De-
(emtcr, 1658, by T, Walkley, with a Copy of the Writ prefixed to it.
Of E N G L A N D. 169
The Judges of the Upper Bench, who, at this inter-rcgnuni.
Time, were IVarburton and Neivdigate ; of the 1657.
Common Bench, Atkins, Hale, and IVyndhalh \ <— v—~ '
With the Barons of the Exchequer, Nicholas, Par- Ja°uary-
ker, and Hill, were fummoned, alfo, as Afiiftants
to this Other Houfe. h
All the Peers fummoned to this Aflembly, except
the Lord Euro, prudcntully forbore to fit therein ;
and Sir Arthur Haflerigge, to fhew his Contempt of
them, took his Seat in the Houfe of Commons, as
Member for the Town of Leicejler. This Gentle-
man was one of thofe who had been fecluded by the
Protector's Council, at the Opening of the Par-
liament in September ; and then diftinguimed him-
felf as the firft Man who fubfcribed the Remonftrancc
againft that Arbitrary Proceeding. However,
On the 20th of January , purfuant to Adjourn- The Parliament
ment, the Parliament met; the Commons in theirmeet again, pur-
own Houfe; the Members of the Other Houfe, infuant to Ad~
that which was formerly the Houfe of Lords : But,JOU'
there being no Journals kept of their New Lordfhips
Proceedings that we know of, what they did, in the
little Time they fat, muft be gleaned out of thofe
of the Commons. — The latter employed the Morn-
ing in taking the Oath required by the Humble Ad-
ditional and Explanatory Petition and Advice, and
appointing a folemn Day of Fafting, Humiliation,
and feeking of God, for his Affiftance and Blefling
on their Endeavours. After which, being inform'd
that the Uflier of the Black Rod, with fome MefTage,
was at the Door, he was called in; and having made
his Obeifance, and approaching towards the Middle
of the Houfe with his Rod in his Hand, he acquainted
them, That his Highnefs was in the Houfe of Lords,
and (laid for them there : Hereupon the Speaker,
and all the Members, went up, the Serjeant bearing
his Mace upon his Shoulder, when his Highnefs
was plcafed to make the following myfterious Speech
to the Aircmbly, as entered in the Journals :
Mj
& Moft of thefc were rc-appoiuted Judge* after the Reftoration.
170 The Parliamentary HISTORY
My Lords, and Gentlemen of the Houfe of Com*
mons>
I Meet you here, in this Capacity, by the Ad-
vice and Petition of this prefent Parliament, af-
^- ~*~~— r ter fo much Expence of Blood and Treafure, to
January. fearch ^ ^ ^^ Bleffings God hath in Store for
The Lord Pro- tnefe Nations.
teftor's Speech ' I cannot but with Gladnefs of Heart remember
to both Houfes. and acknowledge the Labour and Induftry that is
paft, which hath been fpent upon a Bufinefs worthy
of the beft Men, and the beft Chriftians. It is very
well known unto you all what Difficulties we have
pafled through, and what we are now arrived at :
We hope we may fay we are arrived at what we
aimed at, if not at that which is much beyond our
Expectations.
« The State of this Caufe, and the Quarrel, what
that was at the firft, you all very well know : I am
perfuaded naoft of you have been Actors in it,
' It was the maintaining the Liberty of thefe Na-
tions ; our Civil Liberties as Men, our Spiritual Li-
berties as Chriftians. I ihall not much, look back,
but rather fay one Word concerning the State and
Condition we are all now in.
' You know very well, the firft Declaration after
the Beginning of this War, that fpake to the Life,
was a Senfe held forth by the Parliament, That, for
fome Succeflion of Time, Defigns were laid to inno-
vate upon the Civil Rights of the Nations ; and to in-
novate in Matters of Religion : And thofe very Per-
fons, that, a Man would have thought, fhould have
had the leaft Hand in the meddling with Civil Things,
did juftify them all ; all Tranfactions that were in
Pulpits, inPrefies, and otherwife; which was verily
thought would have been a very good Shelter to them,
to innovate upon us in Matters of Religion alfo ;
and fo to innovate as to eat out the Core, and Power,
and Heart, and Life of all Religion, by bringing on
us a Company of poifonous, Popim Ceremonies,
and impofing them upon thofe that were accounted
the Puritans of the Nation, and Profeflbrs of Reli-
gion
Of E N G L A N D. j;i
gion amongft us; driving them to feek their Bread inter-r«gnum,
jn an howling Wildernefs, as was inftanced to our 1657.
Friends, who were forced to fly for Holland, New-
England, almoft any whither, to find Liberty for
their Conferences.
* Now, if this Thing hath "been the State and
Sum of our Quarrel, and of thofe ten Years Wars
wherein we have been exercifed ; and that the good
Hand of God (for we are to attribute it to no other)
hath brought the Bufmefs thus home unto us, as it
js flated in the Petition and Advice, I think we
have all Caufe to blefs God, and the Nations have
Caufe to blcfs him.
' I well remember I did a little touch upon the
85th Pfalm, when I fpake unto you in the Begin-
ning of this Parliament, which exprefleth well that
that we may fay as tridy and as well, as it was faid
of old by the Penman of that Pfalm. The firft
Verfe is an Acknowledgement to God, that he had
been favourable to his Land, and had brought back
the Captivity of his People; and that he had pardoned
all their Iniquities, and covered all their Sin, and
taken away all his Wrath : And indeed of thefe un-
fpeakable Mercies, Bleflings, and Deliverances out
of Captivity, pardoning National Sins and National
Iniquities, pardoning as God pardons the Man whom,
hejuftifieth, he breaks through, and overlooks Ini-
quity; and pardoneth becaufe he will pardon: And
fometimes God pardoneth Nations fo ; and if the
Enjoyment of our prefent Peace and other Mercies,
may be Witnefles for God, we feel and we fee them
every Day.
* The greateft Demonftration of his Favour and
Love appears to us in this, That he hath given us
Peace and the Bleflings of Peace ; to wit, the En-
joyments of our Liberties, Civil and Spiritual ; and I
re-member well the Church falls into Prayer, and
into Prailes, great Expectations of future Mercies,
and much Thankfulnefs for the Enjoyment of pre-
fent Mercies; and breaks into this Expreflion, Surely
Salvation is nigh unto them that fear him, that Glo-
ry may dwell in our Land. In the Beginning, he calls
172 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Iflter-regnum, it his Land ; Thou baft been favourable to our Land:
_ 5— Truly I hope this is his Land ; and, in fome Senfe,
^T""Jf7"""' it may be given out that it is God's Land. And he
January. ^at ^^ tne ^y^^^ Knowledge, and the worft
Memory, can eafily tell we are a redeemed People,
(when firft God was pleafed to look favourably upon
us) out of the Hands of Popery, in that never-to-
be-forgotten Reformation, that moft fignificant and
greateft the Nation hath felt or tafted.
' I would but touch upon that, and but a Touch :
How hath God redeemed us, as it is this Day, not
from Trouble, and Sorrow, and Anger ; but unto a
blefled and happy Eftate and Condition, compre-
henfive of all the Intereft of every Member, of
every Individual of thofe Mercies, as you very well
fee !
' And then in what Senfe it is our Land, through
this Grace and Favour of God, that he hath vouch-
fafed unto us, and beftowed upon us, with the Go-
fpel, with Peace, and Reft, out of ten Years War,
and given us what we would defire ! Nay, who
could have forethought, when we were plunged into
the Midft of our Troubles, that ever the People of
God mould have had Liberty to wormip God with-
out Fear of Enemies ? Which is the very Acknow-
ledgement of the Promife of Cbri/l> That he would
deliver his from Fear of Enemies, that they might
•worfliip him in Holinefs and in Righteoufnefs all the
Days of their Life.
' This is the Portion that God hath given us ;
and I truft we (hall for ever heartily acknowledge it.
The Church goes on there, and makes her Boaft yet
further ; His Salvation is nigh them that fear him,
that Glory may dwell in our Land : His Glory not
carnal, nor any thing elfe that accompanies this
Glory of a free Pofleffion of the Gofpel ; this is that
we may glory in. And he fays further, Mercy and
Truth are met together^ Righteoufnefs and Peace
have kij/ed each other.
* And it fhall be fuch Righteoufnefs as comesdown
from Heaven ; Truth Jhall grow out of the Earth,
and
Of E N G L A N D. 173
and Right toufnefs Jhall come down from Heaven,
Here is the Truth of all ; here is the Righteoufnefs
of God, under the Notion of Righteoulnefs, con-
fuming our Abilities, anfwerable to the Truth that
he hath in the Gofpel revealed towards us : And he
clofeth with this ; Righteoufncfs Jhall go before /;////,
and Jhall fet us in the IVay of his Steps : That Righ-
teoufnefs, that Mercy, that Love, and that Kindnefs
which we have feen, and have been made Partakers
«f from the Lord ; it {hall be our Guide to teach us
to know the ri^ht and the good Way ; which is to
tread in Steps of Mercy, Righteoufnefs, and Good-
nete, that our God hath walked before us in.
' We have a Peace this Day : I believe, in my ve-
ry Heart, you all think the Things that I ipealc
to you this Day ; I am fure you have Caufe. And
yet we are not without the Murmurings of ma-
ny People, who turn all this Grace and Goodnefe
into Wormwood, who indeed are difappointed by
the Works of God : And thofe Men are of feveral
Ranks and Conditions ; great ones, lefier ones, of all
Sorts ; Men that are of the Kpifcopal Spirit, with
all the Branches, the Root and the Branches ; whe
gave themfelves a fatal Blow in this Place, when
they would needs make a Protection, That no
Laws were good which were made by this Houfe,
and the Houfe of Commons, in their Abfcncc ; and
fo, without Injury to themfelves, cut off themfelves.
' Indeed Men that know not God ; that know
not how to account upon the Works of God ; how
to meafure them out ; but will trouble Nations for
an Intereft, which is but mixt at the beft ; made up
of Iron and Clay, like the Feet of Nebuchadnezzar's
Image; whether they were more Civil or Spiritual,
was hard to fay, but their Continuance was like tw
be known before-hand ; Iron and Clay make no
good Mixtures, they are not durable at all.
' You have now a Godly Miniftry ; you have a
knowing Miniftry ; fuch a one as, without Vanity-
be it fpoken, the World has not ; Men knowing
the Things of God, and able to fearch into the
Things of God i by that gnly that can fathom thole
Things
174 'fhe Parliamentary HISTORV
Inter-regnum. Things in fome Meafure. The Spirit of a Beaft
I"57- knows not the Spirit of a Man ; nor doth the Spirit
January. °^ Man know the Things of God : The Things of
God are known by the Spirit. Truly, I will re-
member but this one Thing of thofe; their greateft
Perfecution hath been of the People of God ; Men
of the Spirit of God, as, I think, very Experiences
will fufficiently demonftrate.
* Befides, what is the Reafon, think you, that
Men flip in this Age wherein we live ? As I told
you before, they underftand not the Works of God ;
they confider not the Operation of his Laws ; they
confider not that God refuted and broke in Pieces
the Powers that were, that Men might fear him j
might have Liberty to do, and to enjoy, all that we
have been fpeaking of: Which certainly God hath
manifefted, that this was the End, and that he hath
brought the Things to pafs. Therefore it is that
Men yet flip, and engage themfelves apainft God ;
and for that very Caufe, in the 28th Pfalm, faith
David, He /hall break them down, and not build them
tip. If therefore you would know upon what Foun-
dation you fland, own your Foundation from God*
He hath fet you where you are ; he hath let you in
the Enjoyment of your Civil and of your Spiritual
Liberties.
* I deal clearly with you : I have been under fome
Infirmity ; therefore dare not fpeak further unto you,
but to let you know thus much, that I have, with
Truth and Simplicity, declared the State of our
Caufe, and Attainments in it, to you, by the Indu-
ftry and Labour of this Parliament, when they laft
met upon this Foundation, (you {hall find I mean
. the Foundation of a Caufe and Quarrel thus attained
to) wherein we are thus eftated ; 1 mould be very glad
to lay my Bones with yours ; and would have done
it with all Heartinefs and Chearfulnefs, in the mean-
eft Capacity -that I was ever yet in, to ferve the
Parliament.
* If God give you, as I truft he will, he hath, gi-
ven it you ; for, what have I been fpeaking of but
what you have done ? He hath given you Strength
Of E N G L A N D. 175
to do what hath been done : And, if God fliould blefs Inter-r«gnum,
you in this Work, and make this Meeting happy
upon this Account, you (hall all be called the Blef-
fed of the Lord ; the Generations to come will blefs
us ; you (hall be the Repairers of Breaches, and
the Reftorers of Paths to dwell in : And if there be
any Work that Mortals can attain to in the World
beyond this, I acknowledge my Ignorance. As I
told you, I have fome Infirmities upon me : I have
not Liberty to fpeak more unto you ; but I have
defired an Honourable Perfon here by me, to dif-
courfe a little snore particularly, what may be more
proper for this Occafion, and this Meeting.'
The Protector having ended his Harangue, the
Journals inform us, That the Lord-Commiffioner
Fiennes made a Speech to both Houfes, by way of
Enlargement thereupon. This Gentleman, when
addreffing himfelf to Cromwell^ at the late Confe-
rence concerning the Parliament's Tender of the
Crown, argues like a Man of Learning and a found
Lawyer; yet when he was, as it were, perfonating
his Matter, he feems to have exceeded him in Cant
and Hypocrify. - But let this Enthufiaftic Rhap-
fody fpeak for itfelf.
My Lords and G*ntlement of both the mojl Honour-
able Houfes of Parliament ,
Mongft the manifold and various Difpenfa-The Lord-Com-
' ™'1^*"
_. tions of God's Providence of late Years,
is one, and it is afignal and remarkable Providence, caflon>
That we fee, this Day, in this PJace, a Chief Ma-
giftrate, and two Houfes of Parliament. Jacob ,
fpeaking to his Son Jofepk^ faid, / bad not thought
to have fe en thy Face, andt lo, God bath Jhewed me thy
Seed alfo-y meaning his two Sons Ephraim and Ma-
naffeh : And may not many amongft us well fay,
Some Years fince we had not thought to have feen
a Chief Magiftrate again among us; and, lo, God
hath (hewn us a Chief Magiftrate in his two Houfes
of Parliament ^Now may the good God make them
like Ephraim and M*najfib, that the Three Na-
tions
176 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Int"gre!nuaii tions may be blefled in them, faying, God make thee
^ * 51^__/ like thofe two Houfes of Parliament, which two,
jpuary. like Leah ar»d Rachel, did build the Houfe of Ifrael !
' May you do worthily in Epbrata, and be famous
in Beth/em / May it be your great Bufmefs to pro-
cure the Peace, the Safety, the Profperity of thefe
Three Nations! And thefeThings,too,not forthem-
felves only ; but in order yet to greater and higher
Ends, the Advancement of the Kingdom of Chrlft
amongft us, and the Glory of God, in the Good of
all Men, but efpecially of the Churches of God
amongft Men ; which as they are God's moft pre-
cious Jewels, and his chiefeft Care, fo muft they
alfo hold the choiceft Place in the Eyes, and in
the Hearts, of all them that act under him, and are
cloathed with his Power and Authority.
' In order to this great and glorious End, you may
pleafe, in the firft Place, to reflect upon the Pofture
that the Three Nations at the prefent are in ; a Po-
fture (God be praifed !) of Peace, as within them-
felves ; a quiet Pofture ; a Pofture looking towards
a Settlement; a perfect Settlement; and the bleffed
Fruits thereof Juftice and Piety, Plenty and Prolpe-
rity ; if we take Care not to abufe the latter to the
Deftru&ion of the former : Surely we ought, with
all Thankfulnefs, to own and acknowledge the Out-
goings of God for Good unto us, hitherto : We
ought to confider how far, through the good Hand
of God upon the Endeavours of his Highnefs and
the Parliament before its Adjournment, we were al-
ready advanced in this Way and Work.
' After, you may pleafe to forefee and avoid the
dangerous Rocks, which we may fall upon in our
Courfe; which may not only ftop it, but cut it (hort,.
and totally difappoint us of ever arriving at the de-
fired Port.
4 In the next Place, you may confider the Op-
portunities and Advantages you have at this Time
in your Hands, by what the Parliament hath already
done, that you may improve them.
' And, laftly, you may caft your Eyes upon the
Difficulties we lye under, and the Impediments
which
Of E N G L A N D. 177
which lie in our Way, that you may endeavour to
remove them.
' Thefe Things I can only Ipeak to curforily and
generally : The full and thorough Confideration of ****
tliem will be the Work of your many and ferious
Debates and Confultations j and wilJ eKercife not
only your Wifdom and Induftry, but alfo your Faith
and Patience : And may it pleafe the Lord to ac-
company you with his Prefence and Affiftance, and,
in the End, to crown you with his Bleffing, and
with Succefs !
* Into what Condition the late Wars and Diftrac-
tions had brought thefe Nations, and what a Cloud
of Darknefs had overfpread the whole Face of the
Government, being void, and, in a Manner, with-
out Form, we all know, and the Three Nations fad-
ly felt, and were very fenftble of thofe future Confu-
fions that might have enfued thereupon : But it
pleafed God, that Light fprang up among us, and
Things began to move towards fomething of Or<lef
and Confiftency; but as yet the Earth and the
Water were in one Mafc together : Then were the
Waters beneath the Firmament divided from thofe
above the Firmament ; there was conftituted a
Chief Magiftrate and a Parliament, the one diftind
from the other ; that each one, from its own proper
Place, might the better put forth its Influence and
Ufefulnefs for the Good of the whole.
4 After, it pleafed this Parliament, by their Hum-
ble Petition and Advice, to diftmguifli alfo the Par-
liament into two Houfes ; and that great and noble
Body of the Waters retiring into their own Recep-
tacle, the dry Land appeareth : And what now re-
mains, but that, by the fweet Influence of that pow-
erful Spirit that moved upon the Waters, every
Herb (hould bring forth Seed according to its Kind ;
and every Tree bring forth Fruit according to its
Kind ; and that the Sun, Moon, and Stars, the
Ordinances of Magiftracy and Miniftry, fhould
ihine forth brightly in the Firmament of Heaven,
in their greater and lefler Lights, according to the
Proportion that God hath difpenfed to each one ;
VOL. XXI. M and
178 The Parliamentary HISTORY
and that Fifli and Fowl fhould multiply in the Wa-
ters and in the Air ; and Beafts and Cattle of all
Sorts increafe in the Earth ; that all Trades, all
January. profeffions> an Ranks and Degrees 'of Men, may
be fubfervier.t to that Second Adam and his Spouie,
Chrift and his Church ; that they may be formed
and fet up amongft us, and placed in a Garden of
Eden; where, with all Freedom, without Fear or
Difturbance, they may enjoy ail fpiritual Delights,
and have Communion with one another and with
God: Which, though laft in Execution, I hope al-
ways was, and always will be, the firft and chiefeft
in our Intentions.
* The Holy Angels of God, when the Foundations
of the Earth were laid, did not fay, Here is a rude
Mafs of Earth and Water ; here is indeed a little
Light; but where is Heaven, Sun, Moon, and Stars?
Nay, where is Man, made after the Image of God ?
But, on the contrary, as 'tis witnefs'd from the Mouth
of God himfelf, when the Foundations of the World
were fattened, and only the Corner-Stone thereof
laid, the Morning Stars fang all together, and all the
Sons of God fhouted for Joy. From hence we may
difcover one, and that a mod dangerous, Rock ;
which, if not heeded, we may fplit upon : It is a
Spirit of Difcontent, and Diflike of the prefentDif-
penfations of God, becaufe all Things are not per-
fect in an Inftant, and fuch as is to be wifh'd they
were, and fuch as poffibly, in God's due Time,
they may be.
' If the prefent Parliament, at their firft Meeting,
had given Way to fuch a Spirit as that ; and had
not, God affifting them fo to do, on the contrary,
put on a Spirit of Patience and Refolution to re£ti fy,
as far as in them lay, what was amifs; to improve
what was good, and to make the beft of what God
laid before them ; preffing on to Settlement and
Perfection, as God fhould open them a Way, with-
out attending either to Rumours or Humours of any
Sort, as there were enough of all Kinds to have dif-
couraged them and diverted them in their Work :
I fay, if they had given Way to fuch a Spirit as
that,
Of E N G L A N D. 179
that, I know not where we might have been by this inter- regnum.
Time : But now, blefTed be God ! we know where
we are in fome Meafure ; and that we are in an
hopeful Way of Settlement, Safety, and Profperity.
You did run well, let no Man hinder you : I do
not know that it would be an uncharitable Wifh,
to wifh them for ever cut off that (hould trouble you,
and trouble the Peace of the Nation : But I am fure
it is a Chriftian Wifh and Prayer, to bid you God
fpced in your Way and in your Work, for the fur-
ther Settlement of thefe Nations ; being confident,
that the Child unborn will have Caufe to blefs you
for what you have already done, and what, by God's
Grace, you may yet further do, for their Good.
Thofe that create new Troubles in a Nation, fel-
dom attain either the Ends held forth in their goodly
Pretenfions, or indeed aimed at in their good Inten-
tions, if any fuch they have ; but ufually fomething
falleth out, in the End of the Tragedy, much con-
trary to their Expectation, and ordinarily fomething
of greater Mifchief and Confufion, than ever they
felt before. Thofe that throw Fire upon an Houfe
cannot fay, when the Flame is once broken out,
that it lhall go fo far, or fo far, and no farther :
The Fire, when once broken forth, will after take
its own Courfc, or fuch a Way as fome boifterous
or tempeftuous Wind (hall carry it. Thofe that
(hall pluck up the Flood-Gates of the great Deep,
and let in the furging and raging Waves of War
into a Nation, cannot flop them and bound them
when and where they pleafe : He only can do that
who firft fet Bounds and Doors unto them, and
faid, Hitherto fialt thou come^ and no farther \ and
here flail thy proud Waves be flayed. Let us
therefore beware of the crafty Devices of that fubtle
and malicious Serpent, that he beguile us not; and
that there arife not in any of us an evil Heart of Un-
belief, to depart from our Stedfaftnefs, and from our
fixed Refolution to feek Peace and enfue it.
< There is an evil Root, and it is one and the
fame Root, though two different and contrary Fruits
M 2 *Prmg
180 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. fpring from it, but both tending to one and the fame
t — *— , ^nc* » whicn is to overthrow our great End, the
JanuaT Peace and Quiet of thefe Nations, and the blefled
Fruits that grow upon them, more precious than
the Peace itfelf, though that be a great Blefling of,
and in, itfelf. This Root is a Root of Bitternefs
and Difcontent, at the prefent Difpenfations of God :
The different Fruits thereof are a reftive and a reft-
lefs Spirit: The former caufeth Men, becaufe they
cannot have all that they will, and when they will,
to throw up all in a Difcontent ; and refufe to go
God's Way and God's Pace, becaufe they cannot
go their own. The other Spirit caufeth Men to be
always reftlefs, to be always digging up Founda-
tions, to be turning and overturning, and difliking
all Things. As to the firft Sort; if they would but
confider the Example of the great Workman and
Creator of this beautiful Univerfe, in the Order and
Manner of his Creation thereof, they might therein
behold, as in a Mirror, the perfect Idea of the Me-
thod and Manner of his Working, alfo in the con-
tinual Courfe of his Providence, in the Prefervation
and Government of the World ; and might be
taught how to order their Thoughts and themfelves,
in relation to the gradual Difpenfations of God ;
and learn their own Duty, as they are called to act
under the fame, .and in Subferviency thereunto.
Not only God's Reft, but alfo his Working, was
exemplary j as God refted the feventh Day, fo mun:
Men : As God wrought the fix Days, fo muft
Men; as well thofe that are to work with the Head
as with the Hand ; as well Rich as Poor ; as well
High as Low : None are too high to imitate the
Moft High : None muft be idle ; but every one
muft ferve God and his Country, according to his
Calling ; and that Call cannot but be warrantable,
which is neceflary ; and that is neceflary which God,
by his Providence, fo orders, that a Man muft a<£t
'by it, or not at all : And that he fhould not act at
all, is neither agreeable to God's Commandment,
nor his Example.
« Thus,
Of E N G L A N D. 181
* Thus, as to the Subftance of God's Working ; inter-regnum.
but the very Order and Manner of it hath alfo a l6S7-
Teaching in it. ^T"'*""'"'
* No doubt, if it had feemed good to the Divine JMUXry>
Wifdorn, that powerful Breath, which called fome-
fhing out of nothing, could, in the fame Breath,
and in the fame Inftant, have given it its whole and
entire Beauty and Perfection : But he was plcafed
to create it by Degrees, and to proceed from one
Meafure of Perfection to another. When he had
drawn the firft Line thereof, he did not diflike his
own Work, and throw it up, though the Earth
was void and without Form, and Darknefc was
upon the Face of the Deep, but went on to
create Light ; and though it was ftill mixed with
Darknefs, even before he had divided the Darknefs
from the Light, he faw it was good : And fa, at
every Period of his Work, he owned the Good
that was already in being, and then went on till he
had perfected the whole; and, when he had viewed
all his Works together, he then faw they were all
very good. What fhould this teach us, but that we
ihould thankfully own and receive every Degree of
Good which God reacheth forth unto us; and with
Faith and Patience wait upon his Footfteps, follow-
ing him from one Step of Perfection to another, till
we arrive at the End of his Works ; and then, as
we found the Parts thereof good, we (hall find them
altogether very good : And if God, who could have
made his Works perfect in an Inftant, yet was
pleafed to perfedl them by Degrees, furely he would
have us learn not to quarrel at the Works of Men,
if they are not all perfect in a Day : Nay, if we
will take God for our Pattern, (as all the Excel-
lency that is in the Creature is fo far forth, as there
is found in it fome Shadow and Rcfemblance of its
Creator) tho' there be not only Defects, but alfo real
Evils in Things, yet Men ought not to fit ftill, and
let them take their Courfe, but to endeavour to
amend them if they can ; or otherwife to draw
Good out of them if they may : For although to.
do Evil, that Good may come out of it, is a Doc-
M 3 trine
1 8 2 The Parliamentary Hi s TOR Y
Inter-regnum. trine of Devils; yet, to draw Good out of Evil, is
l657» an high Imitation of God.
V'T^7"-' * As to that other Sort of Spirit, that is over bufy
and always turning up Foundations, I might have
forborne to fay any thing of it to you, unto whom I
addrefs my Speech, as in relation to yourfelves ; for
that either you yourfelves have adviied the fettling
that Foundation we now ftand upon, or elfe are
laid upon it, or at leaft are, or ihould be, all
fworn to it : And as to others, who would build
upon contrary Foundations, or upon no certain
Foundation, departing from, and not perfecting,
that which is already fo well laid, (which may
be equally deftruc"live to our great and good End
of Settlement) I need not fay much to them
neither : For thofe which conceit either Utopia's
of I know not what Kind of imaginary Common-
wealths, or Day-Dreams of the Return of I know
not what Golden Age with the old Line ; their No-
tions are rather bottomed in Conceit than in Rea-
fon, and muft rather be worn out by Experience
than argued down by Reafon ; for, when they come
to be put in Practice, they prefently difcover their
Weaknefs and Inconfiftency, and that they are al-
together unpra&icable and infeafible, or of very
fhort Durance and Continuance, as hath appeared
fo often as they have been afiayed or attempted :
Nay, as to the latter, there feemeth to be ri &HOV,
aliquid Divini, to the contrary ; there having been
fo conftant and ftrong; a Current of Providences
againft it, that whofoever have attempted to ftem
that Tide, have not only been carried violently back
again, but alfo driven upon Rocks, whereupon they
have (hipwreck'd themfelves in the Attempt ; not
unlike to thofe Jews whom Julian the Apoftate, in
Defpight of Chrift, fet to rebuild the Temple at
Jerusalem upon its old Foundations, put of which
Balls of Wild-fire ifiuing forth, affrighted and de-
ftroyed the Workmen, and made them defift from
their Work. Indeed our Author and the Party
amongft us doth the like ; becaufe an Heathen, and
, a great Friend of Julian, would not acknowledge
the
Of E N G L A N D. 183
the Hand of God in it, bait imputed it to a firong later-regnum.
Accident, to the Pertinacy of the Klemcnt ; Perti- l657-
nacla Element'^ crebris Infultil>ust territit Optra) ios ; *— -v~— '
yet it made them dclift from their Work : But fo I10""?*
will not that Party amongft us: No Demonftrations
of God's Hand againft them will prevail with them ;
but, furpafling in Obftinacy the very Jtius them-
felves, they will not leave off their Work, but are
as hard at it, even at this Day, as ever. What
lhall we do with thofe Men who will never be quiet?
JEger intemperans crudelem facit Medicum, et im-
medicabile Vulnus Enfe recidendum*
4 There is another Rock, and it is alfo a danger-
ous one ; it is a Rock upon which many have fplit
themfelves in our View ; and it hath, lying right
over againft it, a Quickfand, no lefs dangerous,
which hath fwallowed many alfo in our Sight : The
Rock is a Spirit of impofing upon Men's Con-
fciences, where God leaves them a Latitude, and
would have them free : The Quickfand is an abo-
minable Licentioufnefs, to profefs and pradlife any
Sort of deteftable Opinions and Principles : For the
former, the Prelates and all their Adherents, nay,
and their Mafter and Supporter too, with all his
Pofterity, have fplit themfelves upon it. The bloody
Rebels in Ireland^ that would endure no Religion
but their own amongft them, have fplit themfelves
upon it : And we doubt not but that the Prince of
thofe Satanical Spirits, under whofe Banner, being
caft out from hence, they are now retired as unto
their Beelzebub^ will, in God's good Time, fplit
himfelf alfo upon this Rock ; and be brought down
to the Ground, together with his bloody Inquifuion,
which therefore hath acquired the Surname of the
Spanijh Inquifition.
4 But as God is no Refpc&er of Perfons, fo nei-
ther is he any Refpe&er of Forms ; but in what
Form foever this Spirit appearcth, he hath, he will,
teftify his Difpleafure againft it, though it be not of
fo deep a Dye as that I have fpoken of before : If
Men, though othcrwife good Men, will turn Cere-
mony into Subftance, and make the Kingdom of
Cbri/l
184 *£he Parliamentary HISTORY
inter-regnuou Cbrift to confift in Circumftances, in Difciplines,
in Forms (though thefe Things alfo may have their
Ufe, as to Order and Decency, fo they be ftrained
no farther, and not carried beyond their Line and4
Meafure) : But, I fay, if Uniformity in thefe
Things fhall diflblve Unity among Brethren ; and
efpecially if it grow to. fuch a Height of Animofity,
and fo high a Degree of Afperity, that if one fay
but Siboletb inftead of Sbiboleth, it fhall be accounted
Ground enough to cut his Throat, though one of
his Brethren ; if any Men fhall account all as Hea-
thens, and no Chriftians, that are not under fuch
or fuch an Ordinance; all Men Devils, that are
out of fuch a Circle, and fuch a Form; and all Men
the Seed of the Serpent, that will not father fuch
or fuch an Opinion, (it may be but Fancies too,
when all is done) fuch Principles, fuch Practices,
Men cannot bear, God will not endure : And in
vain do they proteft againft the Perfecution of
God's People, when, as eagerly perfecuting all
others, they make the Definition of God's People
fo narrow, that their Perfecution becometh as broad
as any others ; and ufually more fierce, becaufe or-
dinarily edged with a fharper Temper of Spirit. It
jnay be that many amongft thefe fhall, by God's
Mercy, meet together in Heaven ; but certainly,
had they Power at Will, they would not fuffer one
another to live upon the Earth : Therefore, blefled
be God, who, in Mercy to us and them, hath
placed the Power in fuch Hands, as make it their
Bufmefs to keep Peace amongft them, and to hinder
them from biting and devouring one another: Nay,
he is pleafed tacitly to influence fome amongft them-
felves, of more moderate Spirits, to balance the reft,
and to keep them in Peace at prefent ; and not
•without Hopes, by God's Blefling upon their Per-
ftiafions and Examples, to bring them at length to
a near Conjunction ef Hearts and of Minds : And
if thofe that are more eaineft amongft them, would
be but a little jealous over their own Spirits, and
\vould but obferve the Rebukes of God upon all
that have been tranfported unto thofe Extremes,
and
Of ENGLAND. 185
?nd trace the Footfteps of his Initiation againft
then), (whereof he h-arh left feveial Prints ir> a-lf the
Three Nations) it might he a good Help to reduce ^
them to that Golden Mean, which certainly is the
right Way, which undoubtedly is God's Way :
God was not in the Whirlwind, nor in th« Earth-
quake, nor in the Fire, when he came to Elijah, 6A
the Mount of God ; but he was in theftill and finall
Voice; yet it mult be a fmall and ftill Voice, enough
to hold forth a certain and dittindt Sound, but not f*
make fo great a Noife as to drown all other Voices
befides : It is good, it is ufeful, to hold forth a cet- •
tain Confeffion of th« Truth j but not fo as thereby
to exclude all tbofe that cannot come up to it, in aft
Points, from the Privileges which belong to them as
Chriftians ; much lefe which belong to them a» Men.
4 For that otrurr Extreme, that Gi»)ph and
Quickfand whereupon fo many wretched Souls have
made Shipwreck of Faith and a good Conference,
abandoning themfelves to all Loofenefs of Opinions,
Principles, and Practices ; denying and bbfpheming
the Lord that bought us, and the Holy Spirit that
famSlified us ; making z Mock of the Scriptures, of
Heaven and Hell, and of all the Fundamentals «f
our moft Holy Faith, I need not fpeak more to it ;
there is Te/limonium Rei in the Cafe ; the Things
themfelves fpeafc Joud enough, to fober Conferences,
that they are intolerable.
' Between thefe two, that Rock and this Quick-
fand, the Parliament, in their Humble Petition and
Advice, have moft wifely and moft chriftianlir
fleered their Courfe; wherein, rf they (hall ftill
conftantly perfevere, all good Men in City, tn
Country, in Army, and every where; nay, God
himfelf will ftand by them, and own them in rt:
And not only in Matters of Religion, but alfo in our
Civil Concerns and Liberties, we have a very fair
Way traced out to us by the Parliament, to fettle
and fecure them both, and make the Three Nations
happy thereby ; if fome therein would btrt rectify
their Opinions, and bring them to Things as God
would have them, and not ftrivc to bring Things
with
1 86 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. with fo much Hazard and Difficulty to their Opi-
l657- nions j like one that, being fcorched with ftanding
VT""v'p1<1'1 too near the Fire, rather than ftir an Inch from the
January. pjace wnere he hath fet down his Foot, cafts about
for Mafons and Workmen to pull the Houfe down,
that fo he may fet the Chimney further off from
him.
' Give me Leave to fpeak one Word more in this
familiar Way of Expreffion, in the Dialect, and to
the Senfe and Experience, of every plain Country-
man.
. ' The late Wars and Confufions had fo trod
and trampled down the Quickwood, whereby the
Hedge was made to fence in our Laws and Liber-
ties, that there is a Neceflity of fetting it over again :
Now fome will admit of no other Way but to fet the
very fame old Plants in the very felf-fame old Bank :
Others run fo far to the Extreme on the other Side,
that they will have none of the old Sets, none of
the old Bank, no Bank at all ; but will have their
Fence fet upon a Level, and upon the plain Ground.
A third Sort like a middle Way; as on the one Side
not to meddle with the old, dry, and dead Bank ;
for that, upon often Eflays and Treaties, it hath
been found the Sets will not take in it ; fo, on the
other Side, not to fet them upon the plain Ground,
left the Beafts, and the Herds, and Flocks fhould
tread them down at every Turn, as they pafs to
and fro, according as. their Food and Fancy leads
them j but to place the Sets in two Tables, upon a
Bank, railed up as before, but of frefh and live
Mould ; and to make Ufe of all Plants, both old
and new, that will take to the frefh Ground, and
thrive in it. The Country Man finds this no ill
Hufbandry in his Way ; and we may find the like
no ill Policy in our Way : And, truly, if it pleafe
the Lord to water our new-fet Plants with the Dews
of Heaven ; and that, by our own Difcord amongft
ourfelves, falling one from another, and from the
Banks we ftand upon, we do not open Gaps for
them who would make a Breach in our Mound ; we
have
Of E N G L A N D. 187
have great Opportunities and Advantages, by what
the Parliament hath already done, to fettle a firm
and lading Fence about our Liberties, both Civil
and Spiritual; and fuch a one as no Beafts of the
Field, neither great nor fmall, no Perfons whatfo-
ever, neither high nor low, (hall be able to pafs
through it, or get over it, or tread it down : But
then we muft beware and take Heed of the fubtle
Devices of fuch, who, defigning to deftroy it, judge,
and not without Reafon, they have no fuch Time
to compafs their Purpole, as to difturb and diftra&
our Settlement in the Infancy thereof, before the two
Rows of Sets have taken deep Root in the Bank, and
before they be grown up together, and are inter-
weaved and plained one into the other. For then,
they fear it will be too late to do it ; the Fence will
be grown ftrong, like a treble Cord, which cannot
eafily be broken, unlefs they can untwift it and un-
ravel it again : Which, after fome Time and Con-
tinuance, and the mutual Intercourfes of Love and
Expeiience of each other's Ufefulnefs to one another,
and to the Commonwealth, it will not be eafy for
them to do.
* Therefore we muft have an Eye not only to the
wild Boars of the Foreft, that they root not up our
Fence, but alfo to the Foxes. Ob, take us thofey
thofe little Foxes which fpoil the Vines \ for our
Vine bath tender Grapes! Let the Chief Magiftrate
and the two Houfes of Pailiament efteem each other
as Bone of their Bone, and Flefli of their Fle(h :
Let them be of one Heart, and like the Form and
Figure of an Heart, which, tho' triangular, is but
one Heart : Let there be one Mind, one Soul, and
one Spirit, that may a6l and animate the whole, and
every Part; and be whole in the Whole, and whole
in every Part : Let one and the fame good Blood
run in and through them all, and, by a perpetual
Circulation, preferve the whole, and every Part, in
perfect Unity, Strength, and Vigour.
* This Conftitution of a Chief Magiftrate and
Two Houfes of Parliament, is not a Pageantry, but
a real and well-meafured Advantage to itfelf, and to
the
1 88 The Parliamentary HISTORY
later-regmtm. the Commonwealth ; and fo confonant to Reafon,
that it is the very Emblem and Idea of Reafon itfelf,
which reafoneth and difcourfeth by a Medium be-
tween two Extremes. If there be two Extremes,
and the one vary from the other, how fhall they be
reconciled, if there be no Medium to bring them to-
gether ? Where one cannot prevail with one, two
may with a third : Where one Foot flippeth, in-
deed the other may keep the Body from falling ; but
if both be tripped up, and it fall, what {hall relieve
it, if there be not a third to put forth a Hand to
help it up again ? If one be aflaulted, will not the
other be concerned in it, and run to its Defence ?
But if both be attempted and expofed to Violence,
will they not ftand in Need of a Protestor ? If forne
Hazard muft be run in popular Elections, to pre-
ierve the People's Freedoms, may there not be fome
Help therein by the Election of a Chief Magiftrate,
that it turn not at any Time to its own Prejudice ?
If any Thing inconvenient ftxxuld chance to flip out
at one Door, muft it not pafs two more, before it
come abroad to the Detriment of the People r"
How exact, and of how great Refpect and Authori-
ty, will be all your Acts, Laws, and Refolutions ;
when as, after that they have pafled the Examina-
tion of that great Body, which fees with the Eyes of
the Three Nations, and is acquainted with the Con-
dition, and fenfible of the Neceflities, of every in-
dividual Part thereof, they {hall then pafs a fecond
Scrutiny, and be publifhed and refined by fuch as,
during Life, fliall make it their Bufmefs either to fit
themfelves for, or to be exercifed in, Things of that
Nature; being alfo affifted by all the Reverend
Judges of the Land, and other learned Perfons of
that Robe, fo oft as there {ball be Oecafion to re-
quire their Advice ; and when, as after all this, they
*nuft pafs alfo the Judgment and Aflfent of the Chief
Magiftrate, who is placed on high as upon a Watch-
Tower, from whence he may behold at one View,
and difcover the State of the whole Body Politic
and every Part thereof; and fee not only near at hand,
but alfo afar off, how it ftandeth in relation to Fo-
reign
Of E N G L A N D. 189
reign States, as well as to its own Parts within it-
felf.
* I might enlarge much more on this Subject : And
it is not to be forgotten that each Houfe taking a Januar>''
more fpecial Care of what is moft proper for it, and
it moft proper for, whilft the Reprefentative of the
Commons provideth and ftrengtheneth the Sinews
of War to preferve the Commonwealth from Dc-
ftruclion in Grofs, by public Force and Violence,
the other Houfe will preferve it from Deftru&ion by
Retale, through the due Adminiftration of Juftice,
fuppreffing private Wrongs and Oppreffions, which
would foon break out into open Flames and public
Rapines, if they were not prevented by the Courts
of Judicature ; whereof the higheft and laft Reibrt
is there : But I fhall leave what is omitted in this
Point to Time and Experience ; which I ana con-
fident will fpeak more fully, and more effecluaHy^
and convincingly, than the Tongue of any Man can
fet forth.
4 And fo I pafs on to the laft Point, and ihall
briefly touch on fome Difficulties and Impediments,
which we may meet with in our Way. And the
firft, that fome may be in Danger to ftumble at, is,
the Apprehenfion of Novelty in this Conftitution,
becaufe it is not in every Point agreeable to what
was before. For Removal hereof, let us confider,
that neither is the Condition of the Nation at preient,
as it was before ; and, it may be, it is not good it
fhould be fo, or, at leaft, that it is jaot God'* Will
it fhould be fo. It is rather little lefs than a Miracle,
that, after fo great Shakings and Confulions, it fhoulJ
fo Toon come to that State that it is already in : And
if we well and wifely confider how great Variety of
Humours and Judgments, and what different Inte-
reils and Powers thefc Wars have raifed amongil us,
and how differently placed and lodged from that
which was before, it ia no Wonder if every one
cannot have what he thinks beft in his Judgment to
be done, but ought rather to -content Jiimfelf with
what he may think next beft to that which -is firft in
his Judgment, which probably may he belt of all
rn
190 The Parliamentary HISTORY
later-regnum. in itfelf ; for that every one is a partial Judge, as
l6S7- to that Thing that hath taken the firfc Imprcffion in
*Tn^""""' his Mind, and fo pafled into a prejudicate Opinion:
January. g^ above all, we muft have the Peace and Settle-
ment of the Nations, quacunque data Via^ as a Pole
or Star before our Eyes, fleering our Courfe there-
by, without giving Ear to the enchanting Songs of
any Syrens; and without giving Way to any Sug-
geftions of Indignation, which proud Flefli may af-
fault our Minds withall ; but with generous Refo-
lutions prefs on to Settlement, conquering our
Temptations and fubduing our own Spirits, if in
any Thing, at any Time, they (hall rife againft this
Work ; whereby we (hall gain more true Honour
before Men and before God, than if we had fub-
dued a City, than if we had conquered a Nation :
And indeed we (hall do no lefs thereby than preferve
Three Nations.
' Another Difficulty arifeth unto us from the Dif-
fatisfadlion of fome of our antient Friends, who have
been, and ftill might be, ufeful to us, in the Work
which we have now in Hand ; which if it be not a
greater Difficulty unto us th;>n that of our fecret
and open Enemies, of whom I (hall fpeak anon, it
is a greater Trouble and Grief to us, becaufe that
we love them fo much, and fear the other fo little ;
not that they are not a formidable Enemy ; but now,
by the Conjunction of our late inbred Enemy with
that old Enemy of our Nation and Religion, and of
God himfelf, who is our Hope, and chiefeft Help,
we fhall have God a greater and clofer Friend unto
us, becaufe we have to do with his greateft Enemy :
But for thofe of our Friends, who content them-
felves with their Privacy and Country Retirements,
in thefe great Difficulties of the Commonwealth :
For the Divijions of Reuben there are great Thoughts
of Heart. Why abide/t thou among the Sheepfolds
to hear the Bleating of the Flocks ? Surety, for the
Divifions of Reuben there are great Searching! of
Heart / How Jhall we bind up the Wounds we re-
ceive in the Houfe of our Friend ? What Jhall we do
for our Sijier that hath no Ereajls j that will afford
Of E N G L A N D. 191
no Milk ? If Jhe be a Wall, we will build a Palace inter- regnum.
of Silver upon her ; and, if Jhe be a Door, we will l6S7-
enclofe her with Boards of Cedar : If they will ^T"^™1^
give us any Foundation to work upon, we will Jam
build upon it ; we will improve it ; we will multiply
Obligations upon them ; we will heap Coals of Fire
upon their Heads : If they will not let us follow
them, let them follow us ; we will either lead or
follow in the Work of God : And if our Words
cannot convince them, we will endeavour that our
Works may do it. And, what we cannot do our-
felves, we will pray to God to do for us, and to find
out Ways, which we cannot, to re-unite our Hearts
and Hands, who have been engaged together in the
fame Caufe, and are ftill embark'd in the fame Bot-
tom, and muft fink and fwim, muft run the fame
Hazard and Fortune together; I mean the fame
Hue and Event of God's Providence towards us,
whether it be for Good, or whether it be for Evil.
As to our Enemies, both fecret and open, they arc?
continually plotting and contriving to create us all
the Trouble that they can ; and want not Means for
to affect it, our home-bred Enemies being now iu<
Conjunction with that our great foreign Enemy, who
vaunt themfelves of their King, that he poflefletb
more Riches, more Crowns, and more Dominions,
than ever any Chriftian Prince did ; and that his-
Empire is ten Times greater than that of the Great
Turk, and larger than ever was that of the Romans ;
and that he might, more juftly than the Per/tan
King, ftyle himfeJf King of Kings, Brother of the
Sun and the Moon ; and that the Sun never fets upon
his Dominions, and the like : And yet, to all theie
Riches and to all this Power, to all thefe Titles, we
are not afraid to oppofe the one fmgle Name of the
Lord our God : And if it do not diminifli our Dif-
ficulty, yet it doth not a little eafe our Minds, that
all our Enemies are reduced to that Head, which
profefleth himfelf to be the Head of that Anti-
chriftian Faction, which oppofeth all the Chriftian
Churches in the World ; and would keep and bring:
them under thq Iron Yoke of his bloody Inquifition :
And
1 9 2 Tfoe Parliamentary Hi s f o R y
Inter-regnum. And every Blow that we flial! level at that Head, hi
^ '' way of Defence or Offence, will, in fome Propor-
January. tion, rewound to the Advantage of all good Chri-
ftians throughout the World.
* And now it would he very ftrange, if all good
Men ftiould not fee, and be convinced, what Thread
if was that run all along through our Quarrel in the
late Wars : And though, at firft, it was more finely
fpun, and more clofely wrought, that it could not
fo eafily be difcerned ; yet, now that it is unravell'd
to its Bottom, it more clearly difirovereth its Rife
fey its Refort : And if the Inrere-ft of that Party (hall
be again inthroned amougft us, arid brought in upori
the Wings of that double-h&aded Black Eagle, or
rather Vuiture, what will become of the pofcw
JLambs of Chri/1 ? What can we expedt, but, ac-
cording to the Agreement between them, a Tolera-
tion of Popery in England and Scotland) and a Pro-
feflion and Protection of it in Ireland, with an Inun-
dation of Loofenefs and Profanenefs on the one Side$
and of Tyranny and Oppreffion on the other ? We
cught then to believe ; and we have good Ground to
reft our Faith upon : But, Cum Deo movenda eft
Manus, we ought fo to believe, as though we had
made no Provifion at all ; and yet we ought fo to
make Provifion, in Subferviency to God's Provi-
dence, as if we did not believe at all. And his
Highnefs doth acknowledge the great Care and Pro-
vifion of the Parliament, for the carrying on of this
War, in purfuance of their moft Chriftian arid truly
•Englijh Spirit and Refolution, in owning that Quar-
rel againft that old Enemy of their Religion, and of
their Nation : Yet I muft acquaint you, That the
Supplies granted have fallen {bort of the Common-
wealth's Neceflities ; becaule, indeed, they .have
fallen flaort of the Parliament's own Expectations,
according tp the loweft Eftimate that they were
reckoned at j efpecially thatpf the New Buildings a :
Wherein
a By an Aft patted this Parliament, (the PrcaRjbk to v,-hich re-
cites that the exceflive Number of Houfes newly built, in the City and
Suburbs of London, and Parts adjoining, were founjj to be very mif-
chievous anti inconvenient, and a fret* Nufmce to the C«mn«m-
•tthh)
Of E N G L A N D. 193
Wherein what have been the particular Obftruc- Inter-regnum.
tions, and what may be the proper Remedies, as '
alfo the full and perfect State of the Revenue, you ^7^7*^
will particularly underftand from the Lords Com-
miflioners of the Treafury, and fuch other Perfons
as his Highnefs will appoint to inform you therein;
which cannot be expecled at this Time from me,
who have already held you too long, andTpent too
much of your Time, and tired out your Patience,
which you will have Occafion enough to make ufe
of to better Purpofes.
4 This only I fhall add before I conclude, That
though I fhall not, I mu'ft not, I dare not, flatter
Man in the Prefence of God, (and his Prefence is
more than ordinary in fuch Aflemblies as this) yet
you all know, and the Three Nations know, and
all the Nations round about us know, that the
Quiet, the Peace, and Welfare of thefe Nations
doth at prefent, in great Meafure, under God, de-
pend upon his Highnefs's Life : And therefore, with
Hearts and Hands lifted up to Heaven, let us pray
for the Continuance of it, and of the Influences of
God's gracious Spirit upon his Mind and Heart, for
the Weal and good Government of thefe Nations.
Then addrejjing himfelf particularly to the Lord
he
* Sir, whatever you are or (hall be; whatever you
have done or fhall do ; and whatever Abilities you
VOL. XXI. N are
wealth) it was enafled, ' That for every Dwelling-Houfc, or other
Building, creeled upon any new Foundation in the laid City, or
within ten Miles thereof, finee the 2jth of March, 1620, and not
having four Acres of Land, at leaft, occupied therewith, according
to the Statute De Terris menjurandit, there fliould be paid to the
Lord Protector, for the Ufe of the Commonwealth, one Year's Rent
at the full and improved Value. And all Houfcs erefted on new
Foundations, after the agth of September, 1657, not having four
Acres of Land occupied therewith, wercTto pay a Fine of One Hun-
dred Pounds for every Offence, for the Ufe above-mentioned j and
the fun her Sum of Twenty Pounds to the Poor of the Pari/h, for
every Nfonth, that any fuch Houfe fhould be upheld and continued.'
Itwaralloenjcled, 'That, for preventing the terrible Confcqucnco
of Fires, all Manner of Houfes in London and Weftmittjltr, or the Li-
berties thereof, and Scutlwark, whether upon old or new Founda-
tions, rtiould, from and after the parting this Act, be built wi'h
JJritk or Stone, or both, and ftrcight up, without jetting out into
:, upon Penalty of One Hundred Pouirds-.
194 yfa Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. are or fhall be endowed with, arc not from nor for
— 5— y°ur^e^> but fr°m anc* f°r God, and for the Good;
°f Men, and efpecially of God's People among
Men : To which End that you may lay forth your-
felf and them, and improve all the Opportunities,
and employ all the Power, which God hath put into
your Hands, is the Hope, is the Prayer of all good
Men ; and in fo doing you fhall have Comfort, you
fhall have Honour, and we fhall have Safety, and we
lhall have Happinefs j that Happinefs to fee Truth
and Peace, Juftice and Mercy kifs each other,
and Chrljl fit upon his Throne in thefe Lands ;
not in that literal and carnal Way, which hath fo
much intoxicated the Brains and Minds o( many
in thefe our Days, but in Spirit and in Truth ;
and more comformable to that which Chrifl him-
felf hath pronounced, That his Kingdom is not of
this World ; and yet muft all the Kingdoms of the
World be fubfervient to that World which is to
come, to that Kingdom which is above.
' \Vhereupon, having our Eyes fixed, let us bend
our Courfe that Way, with our Faces thitherward,
difcharging every one his Duty in his Place, diligently
and faithfully ; and finiihing the Work which God
hath appointed us to do in this Life ; that, in the
Life to come, we may bear that fweet and blefTed
Voice directed unto us, Come^ good and faithful
Servants, enter into your Mafter's Joy.'
Thefe tedious Harangues being ended, the Com-
mons returned to their own Houfe, and ordered
that all the Committees concerning public Affairs,
which had been appointed before their Recefs,
Ihould be revived : But, before we advance any
farther in the Tranfa£tions of this Parliament, it
will be necefTary to Temember, That, by the third
Article of the Humble Petition and Advice, no Per-
fons legally chofen by a free Election of the People
to ferve in Parliament, were to be excluded there-
from, but by the Judgment znd Confent of that
Houfe whereof they were Members. In Confe-
qucnce of this, all thole Gentlemen who had been
denied
Of ENGLAND.
denied their Seats in the Houfe of Commons, at lnt<?r-r«gnum.
the firft Meeting of this Parliament, on Pretence of
their not being approved of by the Prote&or's Coun-
cil, were freely admitted. This opened the Door to
about one hundred of Cromwell's moft inveterate
Enemies, who had obtained great Credit and In-
tercft in the Houfe, by having been excluded for
their Fidelity to the Commonwealth.
It is alfo to be obferved, That the Protector,
when he felefted out of the Houfe of Commons
thofe who were his ableft Managers there, in order
to inftitute his New Houfe of Lords, had not taken
Care to fupply their Places with Men equally at-
tached to his Intereft.
Thefe two Circumftances quite chang'd the Com-
plexion of the Houfe of Commons, and account for
their endeavouring to overturn all that had been done
for Cromwell's Service, in the former Seflion.
Hiftorians charge Crowzw// with the Want of his
ufual Sagacity in this Particular ; not confidering,
that, by the feventeenth Article of the Humble Pe-
tition and Advice, he was obliged to give his Af-
fent to that whole Inflrument without Referve,
And, confequently, his Submitting to fuch Articles
therein as were Rsftri&ions of his Power, was the
Price of a Legiflative Confirmation of his Prote£k>r-
fhip. Befides, there was no Way of Recruiting
th» Vacancies of the Houfe of Commons but by
the Speaker's iffuing new Writs for that Purpofe,
which could not be done without the Order of that
Houfe. But to return :
On the 22d of this Month the Commons being A Meflag«, fcy
informed that fome Gentlemen were at the Door,l*'J °f fjj£
with a MelTage from the Lords, they were ordered £e Ne'wifaife
to be called \n ; when it appeared that they wer«of Lords to tfc?
two jof the Judges, If^ynJbam anil /////, who makingCommoas>
their Obeifances, and advancing to the Clerk's
Table, the former of them delivered a Mefiage to
this Effect :
/ am commanded^ by the Lords^ ta (kfire of this
Houfe, that you -will join with thtir Lard/hits* in an
N 2 Humble
196 The Parliamentary HrsTORY
Inter- regnum. Humble Addrefs to his Highnefs the
*657- That he will be p leafed to appoint a Day of public
"~*~ Humiliation^ throughout the 1'hree Nations o/Eno--
January. iicii ITII J &
land, Scotland, and Ireland.
After debating this Meflage, it was refolved, by
a Majority of 75 againft 51, that the Houfe would
fend an Anfvver thereto, by Meflengers of their
own. This Refolution gave fo great Difguft to the
Protector, that,
Who beginning On the 25th, his Highnefs fent a Letter, directed
^eCAuThority°ofto the Speaker of the Houfe of Commons, which
the Other Houfe, was this Day read, defiring them to give him a
Meeting at the Banquetting- Houfe , Whitehall* at
Three that Afternoon : Accordingly they went up
thither, at the Time appointed, where the Protec-
tor made another Speech to them. This is not en-
tered in the Journals, nor have we met with it, at
large, any where elfe ; and indeed it feems, from
what followed thereupon, not to have been printed
at all. But Mr. Whitlocke informs us, That the
Purport of it was, an Exhortation to Unity, and to
the Obfervance of their own Rules laid down in the
Humble Petition and Advice j becaufe Sir Arthur
Hafelrigge and fome others, not allowing of the New
Houfe of Lords, had fpoken reproachfully of them,
endeavouring to raife Difcontents between the Houfe
of Commons and their Lordfhips j the latter of
whom our Memorialing being now one of them
himfelf, mentions with great Refpect.
On the 28th, the Speaker having made a Report
of the foregoing Speech, he further told them, by
the Lord Protector's Defire, ' That his Highnefs in-
tended to have imparted to them a Paper, concern-
ing the State of the public Monies, which he had
not then ready with him ; but that the Houfe fhould
have it, whenever they did deiire the fame.' Here-
upon it was refolved, That a Committee be ap-
pointed to wait upon the Lord Protector, and defire
him to caufe the Speech he had laft made, in the
Banquetting-Houfe, to be printed ; alfo to commu-
nicate tQ them the Paper concerning the State of
the
Of E N G L A N D., 197
the Public Monies ; and to acquaint him, that the Infer-rc-num.
Houfe would take the Matters, imparted to them
in the (aid Speech, into their ferious and fpeedy
Confideration.
After which it was refolved, by a Majority of 92
Voices againft 84, That no private Bulinefs be ta-
ken into Confidcration for one Month.
January 29. Mr. Nathaniel Bacon f, one of the
Matters of the Rcquefts to the Lord Protector, re-
ported, That the Committee, having waited upon
his Highnefs, in a full Appearance, at the with-
drawing Chamber at Whitehall^ and prefented him
with the foregoing Refolutions of the Houfe, he
gave this Anfwer :
That his Highnefs faid, * He could not have
looked upon the Committee as a Committee of
the Houfe of Commons, had he not feen the Paper,
and the Perfons of the Committee.
' That what he fpake in the Banquetting-Houfe,
was delivered to both the Houfes, the Houfe of
Lords and the Houfe of Commons j and that he
was exceeding tender of the Breach of Privilege of
either Houfe, whereunto he had fworn; and which,
by the Bleffing of God, would maintain ; and that
he did not know, nor was fatisfied, that it was not
againft the Privilege of either Houfe, for him to give
an Anfwer to either of the Houfes apart.
* That he fpoke to the Houfes thofe Things
that did lie upon his own Heart; and that he did
acquaint them, honeftly and plainly, how Things
ftood in Matters of Fad ; but that of the Particu-
lars he did not remember four Lines : That he had
confidered with fome Perfons about the Papers re-
lating to Money, and found fome Particulars ihort,
and fome over ; but he would take them into Con-
fideration, and fet them right, and would give a
timely Account thereof.
' That he defir'd his Affections might be prefent-
ed to the Houfe ; and that he would be ready to
ferve them, faithfully, in the Capacity he was in.'
N 3 The
f Author of the Difcoyrfes tit Government,
198 The Parliamentary HISTORY
The Commons, after hearing this Report made,
j^_ began to debate what Anfwer they fhould return to
February. tne Mefiage brought from the Other Houfe, by Mr.
Juftice Ityndham and Mr. Baron Hill: But came
to no Refolution, till the next Day ; and then only
ordered, that the firft Thing to be confider'd fhould
be the Appellation of the Perfons to whom the
faid Anfwer was t<? be given, but this Matter not
to be entered into till after a Call of the Houfe. —
Accordingly,
February i. The Thames of the Members were
all called over ; and then the Debate upon the forer
going Matter was renamed, which continued that
Day, and the next ; when, at length, it being pro-
p ofed to go immediately into a Grand Committee,
to confider touching the Appellation of the Other
Houfe, that Motion pafled in the Negative, by 93
againft 87. — However, their New Lordfhips, de-
firous to try the Pulfe of the Commons once more,
fent a Menage to them in Writing, by two of the
Judges, Wyndham and Newdigate^ to this Effect,
* That the Lords defir'd the Commons to join with
them in an Addrefs to the Lord Protector, that his
Highnefs would be pleafed to iflue a Proclamation,
by the Advice of both Houfes of Parliament, com-
manding all Papifts, and others, who had been in
Arms againft the Commonwealth, to depart out of
London and Weftminfter and the late Lines of Com-
munication, and twenty Miles of the fame, by a
certain Day ; and not return to the faid Cities, or
cither of them, during the Space of three Months,
nor to any other Place within the Limits aforefaid,
fave only to fuch in the Country, where thofe Per-
fons had their refpeftive Habitations.' This Mef-
fage being read, the Commons refolved, without
a Divifion, That they would fend an Anfwer to the
Other Houfe by Meflengers of their own 5 and then
adjourned the Debate till the next Day.
Feb. 4. The Commons refurned the Debate con-
cerning the Appellation of the Other Houfe ; and
were
Of E N G L A N D. 199
were in the midft of it, when the Speaker inform'd
them, That the Umer of the Black -Rod was at
the Door, with a MefTage from the Lord Protector;
being called in, and making his Obeifance, he faid,
Air. Speaker , his Highnefs is in the HouJ'e of Lords,
•and de fires to /peak with you. Hereupon the Com-
mons refolv'd, That the Debate on the Appellation
of the Other Houfe be adjourned to their Return.
The Speaker then left the Chair, and went up
with the Members to attend upon the Lord Pro-
tector, where his Highnefs declared this prefent
Parliament* to be diflblved.
This is all that can be gathered from the Com- Cromwell dif-
mons Journals, worth our Notice, touching the [clves thc Par*
Proceedings of this fhort Seflion ; neither do any of 1M
the Diaries of thefe Times fupply«the Deficiency :
But it appears by other Contemporary a Authorities,
that notwithftariding the Advice and Intreaties of
Whtthcke and others of the Protector's Council,
againft the Diflblution of this Parliament, yet the
Alarms from abroad daily increafing, and the frefh
Informations brought him concerning the Diligence
of his Adverfaries at home, quickened him to that
Degree in his Refolution to difmifs them, that he
would not ftay for his Coach of State ; but taking
the firfl- that was at hand, went from Whitehall*
attended only by Lieutenant-Colonel Cromwell his
Nephew, and fix of his Guards, to Weftminfter ;
and fending for the Commons to come up to him •
in the Houfe of Lords, he made the following
Speech : b
* T Had very comfortable Expectations that God His angry Speech
1 would make the Meeting of this Parliament aon.that°ceafion'
Blcflinj; and, the Lord be myWitnefs, I defired
the carrying on the Affairs of the Nation to thefe
Ends : The Blefling which I mean, and which
we
a Ludtovj, Vol. II. p. 578. Wfitloekt, p. 673. Letters from
M. De Bourdtaux, the French Ambaflador in England, to Cardinal
Mazari*, and from Lord Fauetnbtrr to his Brother-in-Law, Hnrj
Cmmwll, in Ireland. Tkurh,, Vol. V*»
* Pbitlifi, p. 63 1.
2oc The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnurn. we ever climbed -at, was Mercy, Truth, Right-
l657- eoufnefs, and Peace, which I defire may be im-
*T7V^""' proved.
4 That which brought me in{o the Capacity I
now ftand in, was the Petition and Advice given
me by you, who, in reference to the antient Con-
ftitution, did draw me to accept of the Place of Pro-
tector. There is not a Man living can fay I fought
it; no, not a Man, nor Woman, treading upon
Englijh Ground ; but, contemplating the fad Con-
dition of thefe Nations, relieved from an inteftine
War unto a fix or feven Years Peace, I did think
the Nation happy therein. But to be petitioned
thereunto, and advifed by you to undertake fuch a
Government, a Burden too heavy for any Creature,
and this to be done by the Houle that then had the
Legiflative Capacity, I did look that the fame Men
that made the Frame, fhould make it good unto me.
I can fay, in the Prefence of God, in Comparifon
of whom we are but like poor creeping Ants upon
the Earth, I would have been glad to have lived
under my Wood Side, to have kept a Flock of
Sheep, rather than undertook fuch a Government as
this is ; but, undertaking it by the Advice and Pe-
tition of you, I did look that you, that had offered
it unto me, ihould make it good.
* I did tell you, at a Conference concerning it,
that I would not undertake it, unlefs there might be
fbme other Perfons that might interpofe between me
and the Houfe of Commons, who then had the
Power, to prevent tumultuary and popular Spirits ;
and it was granted I fhould name Another Houfe.
I named it of Men that fhall meet you whereloever
you go, and fhake Hands with you, and tell you it
is not Titles, nor Lords, nor Party, tha: they value,
but a Chriftian and an Englijh Intereft : Men of
your own Rank and Quality, who will not only be
a Balance unto you, but to themfelves, while you
love England and Religion.
* Having proceeded upon thefe Terms, and find-
ing fuch a Spirit as is too much predominant, every
thing
Of E N G L A N D. 201
thing being too high or too low, when Virtue, Ho- Inter- r*gnum.
nefty, Piety, and Jufticc arc omitted ; I thought I l6S7-
had been doing that which was my Duty, and V^TV^'~^
thought it would have fatisfied you ; but if every
thing muft be too high or too low, you are not to
be fatisfied.
* Again : I would not have accepted of the Go-
vernment, u;ilcfs I knew there would be a juft Ac-
cord between the Governor and the Governed ; un-
lefs they would take an Oath to make good what
the Parliament's Petition and Advice advifed me un-
to ; upon that I took an Oath, and they took ano-
ther Oath upon their Part anfwerable to mine; and
did not every one know upon what Condition they
fwore ? God knows, I took it upon the Conditions
exprefled in the Government : And I did think we
had been upon a Foundation, and upon a Bottom ;
and thereupon I thought myfelf bound to take it,
and to be advifed by the Two Houfes of Parliament;
and we (landing unfettled till we were arrived at
that, the Confequences would neceflarily have been
Confufion, if that had not been fettled : Yet there
are not conftituted hereditary Lords, nor hereditary
Kings ; the Power confifting in the Two Houfes and
myfelf. I do not fay that was the Meaning of your
Oath to you ; that were to go againft my own Prin-
ciples, to enter upon another Man's Confcience :
God will judge between me and you : If there had
been in you any Intention of Settlement, you would
have fettled upon this Bafis, and have offered your
Judgment and Opinion.
* God is my Witnefs, I fpeak it ; it is evident
to all the World and People living, that a new Bu-
fmefs hath been feeking in the Army againft this
aclual Settlement made by your Confent. I do not
fpeak to thefe Gentlemen, or Lords, [pointing to
bis Right Hand'] whatfoever you will call them. 1
fpeak not this to them, but to you. You advifed
me to run into this Place, to be in a Capacity by
your Advice ; yet, inftead of owning a Thing taken
for granted, fome rnuft. have I know not what; and
you
2O2 tte Parliamentary HISTORY
Xnter-regnum. you have not only disjointed yourfelves; but the
whole Nation, which is in Likelihood of running
into more Confufion, in thefe fifteen or fixteen Days
that you have fat, than it hath been from the Rifing
o/ the laft Seflion to this Day, through the Intention
of devifmg a Commonwealth again, that fome of
the People might be the Men that might rule all ;
and they are endeavouring to engage the Army to
carry that Thing. And hath that iVfan been true to
this Nation, whofoever he be, efpeoially that hath
taken an Oath, thus to prevaricate ? Thefe Defigns
have been among the Army, to break and divide us.
I fpeak this in the Prefence of fome of the Army,
that thefe Things have not been according to God,
nor according to Truth, pretend what you will.
Thefe Things tend to nothing elfe, but the playing
the King of Scots' Game, if I may fo call him ; and
I think myfelf bound, before God, to do what I
can to prevent it.
* That which I told you, in the Banquetting-Houfe,
was true, that there were Preparations of Force to
invade us j God is my Witnefs, it hath been con-
firmed to me fince, within a Day, that the King of
Scots hath an Army at the Water Side, ready to be
ihipp'd for England. I have it from thofe who have
been Eye-Witnefles of it : And, while it is doing,
there are Endeavours from fome, who are not far
from this Place, to ftir up the People of this Town
into aTumulting: What if Ifajd into a Rebellion?
And I hope I (hall make it appear to be no better,
if God affift me : It hath been not only your En-
deavour to pervert the Army, while you have been
fitting, and to draw them to ftate the Queftion
about a Commonwealth, but fome of you have been
lifting of Perfons, by Commiflion of Charles Stuart ,
to join with any Infurreclion that may be made :
And what is like to come upon this, the Enemy be-
ing ready to invade us, but even prefent Blood and
Confufion ? And if this be fo, I do aflign to this
Caufe your not A/Tenting to what you did invite me
to by the Petition and Advice^ as that which might
be
Of E N G L A N D. 203
he the Settlement of the Nation ; and if this be the lour
End of your Sitting, and this be your Carriage, I l657«
think it high Time that an End be put unto your '^TT*"""""
Sitting; and I do diflblve this Parliament : And let
God judge between me and you.'
At this many of the Commons cried out, Amen.
By the fudden Diflblution of this Parliament, allufcful Bills d«-
the Bills then depending in the Houfe of Commons, JJf™^"8 *c thi*
were rendered abortive. We have extracted, from
their Journals, the following Catalogue of them, to
(hew how many Projects were then on Foot for the
Public Service ; and that the Qucftioning the Pro-
tector's Title, and Affronting his Other Houfe, was
not the fole Employment of the Commons : The
Bills, at this Time under their Confideration, were,
For uniting Scotland and Ireland into one Common-
wealth with England : For eftablifh ing County Re-
gifters : For regulating Ale-Houfes : For afcertain-
ing of Fines upon Defccnt and Alienations of Copy-
holds of Inheritance : For providing for Orphans,
and Prefervation of their Eftates and Defcents : For
Probate of Wills, and granting Adminiftrations :
For compelling Priibnefs, who have Eftates, to pay
their Debts, and for Relief of fuch as are not able:
For fettling of Marriages, and for the regiftering of
them, as alfo Births and Burials : To prevent Abufes
in granting Certiorates : For the Increafe and Pre-
fervation of Timber : To redrefs the Abufes in wear-
ing of Gold and Silver Lace, Silks, fine Linen, and
Excefs in Apparel, and alfo to reform indecent Fa-
fliions: To regulate the great Inconveniences arifing
from the Diverfity of Weights and Meafures : To
amend the feveral Statutes concerning Baftardy, For-
nication, and Adultery, and reduce them into one
Law : For fuppreffing Cuftomary Oaths : For re-
ftraining the exceflive Wages of Artificers and .La-
bourers, and to prevent Exorbitancy in the Apparel
of Servants : For the better t)iftributton of the Re-
venues of Hofpitals : To reform the Abufes com-
mitted by Attornies, Soliicitors, Stewards and Bai-
liffs
204 Ybe Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. ^ffs Qf Liberties, and Under- Sheriffs : To reftrain
unnecefTary Suits upon Bonds or Bills : For Reco-
very of fmall Debts; and relieving Perfons, in cafe
of fmall Trefpafles, within their refpedlive Counties:
For impowering, and requiring, Pariflies to raife a
Stock for fetting the Poor at Work: For preventing
the Inhabitants of the Sea-Coafts from plundering
fuch as have the Misfortune to be wreck'd there :
For prohibiting the Making of Malt in the Heat of
Summer: For Regulation of the Woollen Manufac-
tury : For the farther Encouragement of Trade and
Navigation : For erecting a Court of Law, and an-
other of Equity, at Tork^ior the Relief of the Inha-
bitants of Tork/bire, Northumberland, Cumberland,
and We (Imor eland : To prevent the Non-refidence
of Mafters, Provofts, Prefidents, Wardens, and
Heads of Colleges and Halls in the two Univerfi-
ties: For enabling Truftees to purchafe in Impro-
priations : And for repairing of the Highways, and
improving the Public Roads.
It is obvious, from the foregoing Speech, that the
Commons refufing to own the Protector's Other
Houfe as a Houfe of Lords, and confequently a
Court of Judicature, was one principal Reafon of
his refentful Manner of diffolving this Parliament.
But Cromweirs other Motives for this hafty Diflb-
Jution, are more particularly pointed out in the
following Letter from Mr. Hartlib p, Milton's in-
timate Friend, to Dr. Pellq, the learned Mathe-
matician; who was, at this Time, Cromwell's Refi-
dent with the Swifs Cantons.
SIR,
P From the Original in the valuable Collections of the Rev. Dr.
Birch, Secretary to the Royal Society. This Letter correfponds with*
one from Mr. Payne to M. Nieuport, the Dutch Ambaflador, in
Tburloe's State Papers.
Mr. Hartlib was a Native of Poland, but bad refided many Years
in England, where he was refpedled by the Learned of all Profeflions ;
and was principally concerned in the firft projecting of thofe Meet-
ings of the Virtuofi at Gre/kam College, which have fince been ho-
noured with the Name of the Royal Society.
1 Dr. Pell, after the Reftoration, took Orders, and became Chap-
lain to Archbilhop Sheldon. The Reformation of the Calendar was
his Work, affifted by Mr. Stncreft, afterwards Archbkhop of Can-
terbury.
Of E N G L A N D. 205
SIR, London, Feb. II, 1657. Inter-regnum.
f\N Thurfday lajl I fent away my Letter to Mr. ^jf5!^
^ Moreland s, about Twelve, o'Clock. Half an Hour February.
after , / received the News of the Parliament's being
dijfotvcd. I durft not make another Letter to fegnify Mr- Ifanli&'t
the fame, hoping alfo that fome of the public P<fa$££2£w.
would acquaint you with jo fudden and great a Mat- foiving the Par-
tcr ; but, believe me, it was of fuch Necejffity, that, liaraent.
if their Sfjfion had continued but two or three Days
longer, all had been in Blood, both in City and Coun-
try, upon Charles Stuart'j Account.
An Army of 10,000 Men might have appeared
with an ugly Petition to tht Parliament for the re-
ejlablijhing of Charles Stuart, prefuming*they Jhould
find a Party amongft them ; whiljt another Army of
1 0,000 Men was landing in England, by the Juggling*
to fay no vjorfe, of our good Neighbours. Bejides*
there was another Petition Jet on Foot in the City,
for a Commonwealth, which would have gathered
like a Snow- Ball, but, by the refoiute and fudden
Dijfolving of the Parliament, both thcfe dangerous
Dejigns were mercifully prevented.
Whether we Jhall have another Parliament fl)ortiyy
•r a Grand Council only of Optimates in. the mean
Time, we cannot tell.
All the Officers of the Army attended his Highnefs,
en Saturday lajl, in the Banquetting-Houfe, where
they were entertained with a Speech of two Hours
long ; which made them, afrejh, refolve to jland and.
fall, live and die, with my Lord Protector. Here
you have his Highnefs's two lajl Speeches to both
Houfes, as they wire taken at his Elbow. There is
much Nonjenfe, especially in the laft ; but there are
very few Men yet that have any Copy at all of them.
Yours affe&ionately,
S. HARTLIB.
Im-
• Mr.' Mtrtland was one of Ttmrhet Under. Secretaries; and, at '
this Time, Cromwtirt Refulent at Geneva : But in the Beginning of
May, 1660, having waited upon King Charles at BreJj, and made
feveral important Difcoveries, be received theie the Honour of
Knighthood from hit Majefty.
1657.
—- v—
March.
206 *The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. Immediately after the Parliament was dillblved,
Orders were ifliied by the Council, for preventing
all private Aflemblies under the Pretence of Prayers
or Preaching : And fo jealous was Cromwell of fuch
Part of the Army as was, at this Time, quarter'd
about St. James's, that he took the Infpection of
the Watch at Whitehall, for feveral Nights fuccef-
fively, in his own Perfon. And having now got rid
of his Parliament, and thereby become once more
an Abfolute Sovereign, he made Ufe of his Power
to new-model the Army, by removing fuch Offi-
cers as he fufpecled would obftrucr. hislDefign. In
order thereunto he had difmifled Major- General
Lambert fipm his Service, for refufing to take the
Oath of Fidelity to him, as required by the Humble
Petition and Advice ; but, at the fame Time, not
thinking it fafe intirely to difguft a Man of fo great
Intereft among; the Soldiery, he allowed him a Pen-
fion of 2000 /. per Annurn^ to keep him from any
defperate Undertaking.
The Protector alfo made it his Bufmefs fo to ba-
lance the Intereft of all Parties, that they fhould
pot dare to oppofe his arbitrary Meafures, for fear
of reducing themfelves to a worfe Condition than
they were in. Yet, notwithftanding all thefe Arti-
fices and Precautions, he was not without continual
Apprehenfions. Some Machinations were form'd
againft him by the Fifth -Monarchy Men-, of whom
Major -General Harrifon was the Chief: Of this
Plot the Protector had early Intelligence, and quickly
fupprefs'd it, by imprifoning the principal Confpi-
rators. But the repeated Information he daily re-
ceived, from his Spies in the exil'd King Charles's
forms the City c Bntflels, of an intended Invafion in Favour
of London, and r \ -n • \ • \ n T--/I
the Officers of of that Punce, which ftruck at his own very Exift-
the Army, of aence, fo highly alarm'd him, that, on the I2th of
he fe"nt for the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and
Common Council of London, and alfo the principal
Officers of the Army, to attend him that Day at
Whitehall. What pafs'd at this Meeting we (hall
exhibit from the Narrative thereof publi&ed by
Authority*
Cromwell in-
Plot in favour of
the King}
Of E N G L A N D. 207
< The Company being all admitted to the Lord Inter-regnum.
Protestor's Prefence, his Highnefs reprefented to 'j^l ^
them the Danger wherein that City, and the whole March.
Nation, were involv'd at prefcnt, by reafon of the
new Defigns of the old Enemy, Charles Stuart and
his Confederates abroad, and his Party here at home;
who had been at Work fecretly t6 imbroil the Nation
again in Blood, as foon as he Ihould be able to make
his intended Invafion. His Highnefs told them, that
he knew this to be true ; that he knew it by Letters
of theirs intercepted ; by certain Intelligence, from
abroacj, of their Proceedings ; and by Information
from the Mouths of fuch Perfons as h,ad been en-
gaged to act with them. He acquainted them like-
wife, that the Lord of Ormond, in Perfon, had been
Jately in England for three Weeks together b, being
come over on purpofe to promote the Defign, by
encou-
* Mr. Morrice, in his Memoirs of Lord BrogbiH, gives us the fol-
lowing Inftance of Cromwell's great Generofity towards the Marquis
of Qrmond, when he had him in his Power : — The Proteftor, being
informed that the Marquis was in London, told Lord Brogbill of it,
and acquainted him with the Time of his coming there. Lord Brag-
bill declaring hi; Ignorance of that Matter, Cromwell bid him give
Lord Qrmond Notice that he knew of his being in Town ; which be-
ing done, accordingly, the Marquis inflantly haftened out of England,
Lord Clarendon charges Sir Richard ff'iiits with having given Cr«m-
•zvfll this Intelligence.
The Motives that induced the Marquis of Orrnond to come over in-
to England, at this Time, and his Tranfaftions here with the King's
Friends, are given in the Life of that Nobleman, written by Mr.
Carte, Vol. II. p. 175. And, in that Gentleman's Collection of
Letters, &c. found amongft the Marquis's Papers, (Vgl. 11. p. nS.
etfeo.J is a particular Detail of his Lordmip's Proceedings in England,
in Jan. 1657, drawn up by himfelf, and font to Sir Ediaard Hydtt
afterwards Earl of Clarendon j with a Series of Letters on that Sub-
ject, between the Chancellor, the Marquis ofOrmond, the Earl of Brt-
fiol, and Cardinal DtRelx : It appears by theft Authoritej, that a Ne-
gotiation was actually on Foot, to engage the Pope, through the Inter -
pontion of that Cardinal, to lend a helping Hand to the Reftoration
of King Cbarlet 11. and that hit Eminence exprefled the higheft Sa-
tisfaction at the good Dilpofition of the Engltjh towards the Hoi/
See.
Lord Clanndtn tlfo gives an Account of the Occafion of the Mar-
quis of OrmWs coming into Eng'an4, and the Temper in which h«
found the King's Friends ; but takes no Notice of the Correspondence
that was carried on between the Marquis of Onnond and Cardinal D«
Ret*. — That there was fuch a Negotiation, is evident by Mr. Carte t
Collections above-cited j but, it is highly probable, from the Nobl*
Hiftorian's Silence, in this Particular, that he was known to be to«
good an Engltjbman to ba truAeU with fuch a Secret.
208 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
encouraging and engaging as many as he could in
and about the City ; and that he went away again
only three Days before : That, in order to this In-
vafion, Charles Stuart was waiting in Flanders, ha-
ving about 8000 Men quarter'd in feveral Places
near the Water Side ; as at Bruges, EruJJels^ Ojlend^
&c. and that 22 hired Ships were in Readinefs to
tranfport them, waiting only for the Opportunity of
fome dark Night to flip by the Erigiijh Fleet ; which
they might the more eafily perform, our Ships being
of great Burden, drawing much Water, and fo not
able to ride upon the Flats ; and therefore feeing a
real Danger fo near at Hand, and that the Peace
and Safety of the City, and the whole Nation, was
highly concern'd in it, he defired the Citizens might
be made fenfible of it, and how much it behoved
them to provide for their own and the Nation's Se-
curity. To that End his Highnefs recommended
to the Lord Mayor and the Body of the City, the
fettling their Militia ; and that it might be placed
in the Hands of pious and fober Men, well-affected
to the prefent Government, and fuch as were free
from Difcontent and Faction ; Perfons that might
carry on the Work with Alacrity and Difcretion ;
to put the City in a Pofture of Defence, that they
might be in a Condition to fupprefs all Tumults and
Infurrections, defign'd by the Enemies of the Na-
tion's Peace and Profperity. The Citizens, adds
our Gazetteer* exprefs'd much Chearfulnefs in the
Prefence of the Lord Protector, departed highly fa-
tisfied, and immediately fet about putting his High-
nefs's Direction, into effectual Execution.'
Who thereupon' A few Days after this an.Addrefs was prefented
refolve to fupport to the Protector by 'the Lord Fleetiuood^ in the
theProteflor. Name ofthe Officers of the Army, declaring, ' That
they not only freely and heartily engaged to ftand
by his Highnefs with their Lives, but alfo to im-
prove their Intereft with the LORD GOD, for his
gracious and mighty Afliftance of Cromwell in the
further Profecution of the great Work which the
Divine Majefty had called him unto !
The
Of E N G L A N D. 209
The above-mentioned Attempt in Favour of the
ICing's Rcftoration proving abortive, Cromwell re-
folved to make an Example of fome of thofe in his
Power; and, without admitting them to their Tri- ™
als by a Jury, revived the High Court of Jufticc; by PC fons executed
xvhich Sir Henry Sling/by, Dr. Hewit, and others,0" ««'>';»' of
fell a Sacrifice to his Revenge. >
On the 8th of April the Protector received Ad-
vice of a Victory his Forces had obtained againft^ucJ*fsaSainft
thofe of the King of Spain, in 'Jamaica, with a Re-
lation of the Spaniards lofmg their Plate-Fleet.
About Midfummer the Town of Dunkirk, which ~ ... ^rr
at this Time belonged to the Spaniards, having fuf dere.t
tained a Siege of fome Weeks againft the united •»*/'•
Forces of England and France, furrendered upon
Articles ; and Loikhart, Cromwell's Ambaflador,
was put into the Pofleflion of it, (by the French King
in Perfon, and in the Prefente of Cardinal Maza-
rin) in the Name of his Mafter; to whom the Inha-
bitants were obliged to take an Oath of Allegiance
as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.*
The Dukes of "Xork and Glouccjhr were prefent in
the Spanijh Army under the Command of Don Juan^
which was fent to relieve the Town, and charged
the Engli/h on Horfeback feveral Times fo gallantly,
that it was with great Difficulty they efcapcd being
either killed or taken.
VOL. XXI. O It
* The Proceedings againft thefe Gentlemen may be feen in the
Statt Tri ah, Vol. IJ
c Dr. H>'el<u.<o!>d gives us the following Anecdote, relating to the
Affair of Dunkirk;
1 The e was an Article in theTieatv betwixt f ranee and the Pro-
teftor, That if Dunkirk ome to be t. ken, it ft'. old be immediately
delivered up to the Englijh j and his Ambaflador, Lotkbart, had Or-
ders to take Pofleflion or it accordingly. When the I r,-ncb Army,
being joined by the Englifi Auxiliaries, was on it" n-arch to inveft
the Town, Crcimutll Arnt, onr iM orninc , for the French Ambafl" dor
to Wb'.ntall ; and upbraided him, publickly, for his Mailer'* defined
Breach ot Promife, in fivinp fecret Orders to the I-rencb Gen*i-l to
keep PoflVflion of Dunkirk, in cafe it wa* taken, conTiar\ to rhe
Treaty between them. The Ambaflador protefhd he knew nothing
of the Matter, as indeed hr did not ; ^nd bcgg'd Leave to allure him,
"hut there was no fuch Thing thought of.
Upon.
2 j o The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. It was not long after all thde important Succeffes,
J_6S8> that Cromwell himfelf was called upon to give an
""^T"""^ Account of his Conduct to the Supreme Diipofer cf
September, n t- T-* r />
all Events: Por, on the I2th ot Auguft^ he was
His Sicknefs and taken iil at Hampton-Court^ and died on the 3d of
Death. September following, being the fame Day of the
fame Month on which he had gained the two great
Victories of D unbar , and Worcefler-\ and which had,
during his whole Protectorate, been annually obfer-
ved as a General Thankfgiving.
Remarks on his It is not within the Compafs of thefe Enquiries,
JJJjJjJV'r wh'c'a are confined to the Proceedings of Varlia-
ments. " ^^'went^ to attempt the General Character of this
Ufurper
« Upon this Cromwell, pulling a Paper out cf his Pocket, Here, fay 4
he, is the Copy of Cardinal Mazarin's Order : And I d-f.re you ia
difpatcb immediately an Exprefs to let him know that I am r.ct to be
impcfcd upon; and that if he deliver not up the Keys of the Tuivn cf
Dunkirk, to Lockhart, within, one Hour after it jhall be taL-n, tnl
him, V II come in Perfon, and dtm.ind tbim at the Gates of Paris.
There \vcre but four Perfons Did to be privy to this Order, tht
Queen-Mother, the Cardinal, the Marihal De "Turenne, and a Secre-
tary. The Cardinal, for a long Time, blamed tire Queen, as it" /he
might pofiibly have bl&bb'd it out to fome of her Women ; whereas
it was found, after the Secretary's Death, that he had kept a fecret
Correfpondencs with Crew-well for feveral Years j and therefoie it
•was not doubted but he had fent him the Copy of the Order above-
mentioned.
' The Mcfl'ige hud its Effect ; for Dunkirk was put into the Pofleflion
of the Englijb ; and, to palliate the Matter, the Duke DC Crejuy was
difpatchrd into England Ambaflador Extraordinary, to compliment
Cromwell, attended with a numerous and fplendid Train of Perfons
of Quality 5 among whom was a Prince of the Blood, and Mancini,
Maxarins Nephew, who brought a Letter from his Uncle to the
Protestor, full of the higheft Expreffions of Refpeft ; and affuring his
Uighnefs, That, being Within View of the Englijh Shore, nothing
but the King's Indifpofition (who then lay ill of the Small-Pox at
Calais) could have hindered him from coming over to England, that
he might enjoy the Honour of waiting upon one of the greateft Men
that ever was j and whom, next to his Mafter, his utmoft Ambi-
tion was to ferve : But, being deprived of fo great a Happinefs, lie
Jiad fent the Perfon that was neareft to him in Blood, to afl'ure him
of the profound Veneration he had for his Perfon; and how much,
he was icfolved, to the utmoft of his Power, to cultivate a perpe-
tual Amity and Friend/hip betwixt his Mafter and him.
Welnvood' 's Memoirs, p. 112.
' Crumivell, not to be behind-hand with the Cardinal in point of
Politenefs, Jent his Son-in-Law, the Lofd Fauccnl>erg,to Calais, t»
congratulate with the French King for their joint Profpeiity ; anjt
mutual Profefiions were then renewed between them, with new Obli-
Never to make Peace without each other's Confent.
Tin f.-i-ffa Ptlnifati, f. 336,
Of ENGLAND. 211
Ufurper of Sovereign Power; who, under the Title Inter-
of Lord Protector, excrcifed a much greater Autho- ^_^
rity than any King of England was ever pofiefled of. September.
We lhall therefore content ourfelves with oblerving,
That though Cromwell fupported the Honour and
Dignity of the Nation abroad, with a Spirit and Re-
folution equal to many, and fuperior to moft, of
our Kings : Tho', during his Adminiftration, many
excellent Laws, worthy of better Times, were en-
acted for the Benefit of the Subject at home ; and
the Benches of Juitiee filled, by him, with Men of
the greateft Abilities at the Bar : Yet not one of
our JVlonarchs, nor even all of them together, fince
the Norman Conqueft, ever trampled upon the Li-
berty and Privileges of Parliament with fuch Info-
lence and Outrage : For he abfolutely nominated,
by his own Warrant, all thofe that conftituted the
firft Aflembly in his Protectorate : He excluded, by
an arm'd Force, every Man from his fecond, tho'
elected by the People, that would not fubfcribe an
Engagement to fupport his lawlefs Authority : And
as to his third, after ufing all the bafeit and moft
unjuftifiable Means poffible to influence Elections,
he denied Entrance into the Houfe to near 100
Members, on Pretence of their not being approved
by his Council, before he could obtain even the
Appearance of a Parliamentary Sanction of his
Power.
At the fame Time it muft be remembered, to
Cromwell's Honour, that his regulating the Manner
of Elections, by laying afide the leiler Boroughs,
iiluing out new Writs to Capital Towns of Trade,
and increafing the Number of Knights of Shires,
(thereby tending to make Members of Parliament
more really and effectually the Reprefcntatives of
the People) was a Noble Work, and worthy the
Imitation of Modern Times : Tho' we fear it will
long remain among the Dtfiderata of our ConfU-
tution.
Upon this Occafion, the Obfervations of two The Rcafonj
modern Authors, touching the Origin and Founda- Juryg|j (£"",1 re.
tion of the Leifer Boroughs, will be no improper Di- turned by.tocon'
O 2 greffion : fidwaUe T«wn»,
212 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. greffion : And, firft, the learned Mr. Carte d, who
l6S8 accounts for it in this Manner :
September * Great Part of the Lawyers, fays this Hiftorian,
in the Inns ot Court, being infected with Puritanifm,
in their Zeal for the Caufe, laboured to advance the
Intereft of their Party in the Houfe of Commons;
and, in their Searches of old Recotds, finding feveral
Towns of the King's Demefne had been fummoned,
once or twice, by Edward I. to fend their Deputies to
Parliament, (tho' this wife Prince did not live above
twelve Years after his Institution of the third Eftate,
and varied the little Places which fent Members
from Time to Time, only to Tighten a Charge,
that, when their Reprefentatives received Wages,
was too heavy for them conftantly to bear) yet on
this bare Pretence of their having had one or two
Summons, they took it into their Heads to main-
tain, that thefe Demefne Towns, many of them
inconfiderable Villages, were Boroughs by Pre-
fcription ; and had a Right, contrary to the Inten-
tion of the King who firft fummoned them, to fend
Deputies to Parliament in all future Ages.
' Thus the Earl of Leicefter's Town of Andover^
and near thirty others, in which the Great Men
about Court had an Influence, re-aflumed the Pri-
vilege ; and increafed the Houfe of Commons, in
Queen Elizabeth's Time, by about flxty Members.
This feems to have been done, during her Reign,
only by the Sheriffs of Counties fending Precepts to
fuch Places ; probably by the Direction of powerful
Courtiers, who had Intereft enough in the Houfe
of Commons, (when a Debate arofe, in the i3th
Year of that Reign, on the Introduction of eighteen
Members for Towns never known to fend any be-
fore) to protect them, and keep the Practice from
being cenfured ; but, in the fucceeding Reigns, the
Commons themfelves made ufe of the fame Pre-
tence to increafe their Members. Thus the Puri-
tans got the Afcendant in that Houfe: And thus-
was
d Hi/lay of England, Vol. IV. p. 4.
Of ENGLAND. 213
jr/as an unreasonable Difproportion in the Repre- inter-regnum .
fentation of the Kingdom introduced, to the inn"-
nite Prejudice of the Confli ution.
4 When Edwardl. in the 23d Year of his Reign,
firft fummoncd the Cities and Towns, which either
held of him in Fee-farm, or were Part of his Royal
Demefnes, to Parliament, in order to agree for
themlelves, and others of the like Tenure, upon
the Rate of the Talliages due from them, which
had before been fixed either by the Privy Council,
or the itinerant Judges, there were not above 106
Places admitted to this Privilege Of thefe, fifty-
five were either Cities or the principal Towns of
Counties, lummoncd conftantly ever fince ; the
other fifty-one were fmall inconfiderable Towns,
Parcels of his Demefne, without any continued Suc-
ceffion ; the Places varying, whilft the Number was
generally preferved. There was no ill Proportion
in this Representation, efpecially at a Time when
the &epre(entatives of thele Cities and Towns were
folely concerned in rating their own Talliages, and
had no Suffrage in the Taxation of the Gentlemen
and Freeholders of Counties, which was fettled by
the Knights of Shires alone, aflembled a-part by
themfelves. But the Cafe is now vaftly altered ;
there is no longer any juit or reasonable Proportion
in the Reprefemation ; for, whiHt all the Landed
Intereft is rep-refented by ninety two Members, and
the Trading cr Monied Intereft by about an hun-
dred Deputies of Cities and great Towns, there are
above 300 Reprefentatives of fmall, inconfiderable,
and many of thefe, bepgarly Boroughs; who, by a
Majority of three to two, are able to difpofe of the
Property of all the landed and opulent Men in the
Kingdom, in Defpite of their unanimous Difient.
Thefe have been long confidcrcd as the rotten Part
of our Conftitution ; and, being venal as well as
poor, they h;we been the chief Source of the Cor-
ruption complained of in modern Parliaments.
* Foreigners, that know and reflect on this Ine-
quality in the Reprefentation, which they cannot
ils to common Senfe, ftand amazed at heaiv
O 3 ing
2 1 4. The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. ing us brag of the Excellency of our Conftitutution,
when it labours under fo Fundamental a Defect j and
are apt to doubt, whether the Senfe of Parlia-
ment be really the Senfe of the Nation. The Evils
of this Inequality are great and notorious ; frequent
Complaints have been made on the Subject, and va-
rious Expedients fuggjefted for Redrefs j but, whe-
ther thefe gave Diftafte by a too fudden and remark-
able Alteration of the Forms and Cuftoms to which
the Nation had been long inured, none of them
have been yet adopted, and Room is left to offer
another to the Confideration of the Public.
' Machiavel, obferving that all Constitutions alter
in a Courfe of Time, and, in confequence thereof,
become fabject to Corruptions which threaten their
utter Subverfion, thinks no Method fo likely to
prevent the impendent Ruin, as by refolving them
into their firll Principles ; and bringing them back,,
as near as poffible, to their original Condition.
Were this Method thought proper to be followed,
and Parliaments reduced nearer to their original
Conftitution, which, neither in this, nor in any
other European Country, admitted any other Re-
prefentatives than of the Gentry and Freeholders,
it may be done by giving the Landed Intereft a
greater Power and Influence in Parliament, than they
have at prefent ; by conferring on all Freeholders,
pofFefied of Eftates of 40 or $ol. a Year, (who
ought certainly to have a better Share in the Repre-
fentation, than a Man of forty Shillings) within
the Hundreds in which fitch fmall poor Boroughs
are fituated, a Right of Voting, equally with the
Freemen and Inhabitants, for the Election of Mem-
bers to reprefent the Boroughs ; and by making the
Steward, or Judge of the Hundred-Court, a joint
returning Officer, with the Reeve, Conftable, or
other Chief Magiftrate of the Borough. As Free-
holders of that Subftance retain more of the old
Englijh Spirit than any other Set of Men in the
Nation, and are the leaft corruptible, this would
cut off at once all the fcandalous Bargains now made
by Brokers for Boroughs : Nor will it be an eafy
Matter
Of ENGLAND. 215
Matter to find another Method for putting a Stop
to Corruption grown fo genera), and to the Vcnali-
ty of Elections, leis exceptionable than this, which
hath the Advantage of being agreeable to the Spirit
of" our Conftitution ; and will, without any (hock-
ing or glaring Breach of Forms, rectify the unhap-
py Difproportion which reigns at prefent. When
the infamous Bribery of the Inhabitants of StacJc-
bridge and Hindon provoked an Houfe of Commons
fo bring in Bills for disfranchising them e, had this
Expedient of letting in the neighbouring fubftantial
Freeholders to vote with them in Elections been
thought of, the Remedy would have appeared lefs
extreme, and it might have effectually flopped a
Corruption, which hath not been lefTencd by the
Danger thofe Boroughs ran of being disfranchifed.
This likewife may be done gradually, and almoft
imperceptibly, by a general Refolution of punching
the Bribery of Boroughs, in fuch a Manner, when-
ever Occasions fhould offer: And it would, in Time,
reform an Evil, which, if continued, mu(l prove
the utter Ruin of the Conftitution.'
That ingenious Antiquary and Naturalift, Mr.
Borlafe, accounts, very judicioufly, for the great
Difproportion of BurgeiTcs elected in Cornwall f.
* As this County, fays he, has a fo much greater
Number of Boroughs than any in Great- Britain,
and fends as many almoft as the Kingdom of
Scotland itfelf g, it will not be foreign to our Pur-
pofe, to inquire into the Original of this fo much-
envied Privilege, offending To great a Number of
Reprefentatives to the Houfe of Commons, from fo
fmall a County, and from Boroughs moftly fo in-
confiderable as to Trade, Inhabitants, and every
thing that can intitle Places to Diftinction j whilit
feveral
e In the Year 1702. See Biihop Eurncfs Hillary of bit own
limei, Vol. II.
f Tbt Natural Hijlory of Corn-Mali, printed at Oxford, Anno 1758,
p. 309, et fey.
This Gentleman alfo publiflied, Anna 1754, Obfervatiom on tb
Antiquities, Hiftorical and Monumental, of the County of Cornwall.
9 Cormvai/ fends 44 Members to Parliament; and Sutljnd 4 j,
216 The Parliamentary HISTORY*
Inter-regnum. feveral Towns in England^ much fuperior in all
^* ^ refpedts x, huve never been ad itied to the fame
Honour.
4 This Pre-eminence of Cornwall is not antient :
From the 23d of Edward I. five Boroughs only,
(viz. Lance/ion, Lifkerd^ Truro, B dman, and Hel-
fton) fent two Members each, and the County two.
Lojlwythyel has held the fame Privilege from the 4th
of Edward II. and fent two Members once before,
viz. in the 33d of Edward I. * Thefe are the only
fix antient Boroughs, and the Number was neither
diminifhed nor increafed, till the 6th of Edward VI.
excepting only in one Inftance, which fhall be ta-
ken Notice of.
' At this Time (viz. in the latter End of the
Reign of Edward VI.) feven other Boroughs, viz.
Saltajh, Camelfordy Weft-Loo, Granpont, Tindagel9
Michel^ and Newport , were permitted to fend up
two Members each.
* In the ift of Mary, Penryn, and in the 4th and
5th of the fame Reign, St. Ivfs, had the like Pri-
vilege.
* In the ift of Elizabeth^ Tregeny was admitted ; in
the 5th, St. German's and St. Maw's ; in the I3th,
EaJl-LoQ and Fawy ; and, in the 2yth of that Reign,
Callington, making up the Number of twenty- one
Boroughs ; which, with the County, return to Par-
liament forty four Members.
' The Reafon of this modern Addition to the Bo-
roughs of this County, may (our Author thinks) beft
appear from confidering that the Duchy of Cornwall
(then in the Crown, and oftener fo than feparated
from it z) yields, in Tin and Lands, an hereditary
Revenue,, much fuperior to what the Crown has in
any County in England; and that eight of thefe Bo-
roughs a had either an immediate or remote Con-
nection with the Demefne Lands of this Duchy; a
Link
x Sberberxe, Manchefter, Birmingham, Ely, Burton upon Trent,
Leeds and others.
y Notitia Parliament aria, by Dr. Will's, Vol. II. p. 37, &c.
z Whenever the Sovereign has no Son, the Duchy of Cornwall is
in the Crown.
a Xa.'tofi, Camelford, Weft-Ley, Gratpont, Tindagel, Tregeny,
St. Maw's, and Eaft-Leo,
Of E N G L A N D. 217
formerly of much ftridcr Union and higher
Command than at prefenc. Four other Boroughs
depended on, or wholly belonged to, Religious
Houfcs, which fell to the Crown at the DiiTolution ScPtcrnbef»
of Monafteries in the Reign of Henry V11I. For
Inltancc, Newport rofe with Launcejion Priory b, and
with it tell to the Crown. Penryn depended much
on the rich College of Glafney, and iti Lands; the
Manor alfo was alienated by Ed-ward VI. c but re-
ftored by Queen Mary^ and the Town privileged
by her. St. German's was, after Bodrnan, the chief
Priory in Cornwall ; and the Borough of Fawy fell
to the Crown, wich the Priory of Trewardralthy to
which it belonged.
4 The other Boroughs remain to be taken Notice
of. Michel belonged to the rich and highly allied
Family of the Arundth of Lanhearne\ and St. I-ves
and Callington to the Family of Pauulet^ (Marquis
of tiPincbtfttr. now Duke of Boston) by marrying
the Heirefs of Willoughby Lord Brook, fometime of
Newton- Ferrers^ in this County. Now thele fe-
veral Connections of the additional Boroughs, may
point out to us the Rile of this Privilege.
4 Henry VII. reduced the Power of the ancient
Lords ; and, consequently, advanced that of the
Commons. Henry VIII. enriched many of the
Commons with Church-Lands ; and, in the latter
End of the Reign of Edward VI. the Duke of
Northumberland could not but perceive of" what
Confequence it was to his ambitious Schemes, to
have a Majority in the Houfe of Commons; and
Cornwall Teems to have been pitched upon as the
mod. proper Scene for this Stretch of the Preroga-
tive, becaufe of the large Property d; and, confe-
quently
b The Religiou« of Sit Stephen's Collegiate ('hutch being removed
from the Brow of the Hill into » lower Situation, contiguous to the
"Walls of Lavncefton, about 300 Years before, the Town of Ne-wfort
wai built on the Ground adjoining.
« Netitia Parliamenttin i, Vol. II. p. 109.
d In the i 5¥hof//?»ry VIII. the Revenue of the Duchy of Corn-
•wall, with its dependent Rights and Manors, was reckoned, fays
Sir j. Dodder. d^e, at 10,095 A * I '• 9^' which i'roperty became
incre.ife.1 by the Fiil'.jf Religious Ho.:U:s in the End of tht
218 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. <juent!y, Influence of the Duchy: Six Towns there-
1658. fore depending on the Duchy and Church-Lands,
^ ~v~ '— ' and one Borough of a powerful Family, were in-
( Septem er. jujgej to fencj j^ j\,jernberSi The Miniftry of thofe
Days were not fo defective in Artifice, as not to
oblige powerful Lords, now and then, with the
fame Indulgence which they granted to thefe Bo-
roughs ; thereby endeavouring either to reconcile
them to their Adminiftration, or to make this guilty
Increafe of the Prerogative lefs invidious. Queen
Mary, in her fhort Reign, (probably from the fame
Motives) admitted two more; and Queen Elizabeth^
who never rejected any Political Precedent which
might confirm her Power, (though always, it muft
be owned, exerting that Power for the Profperity of
her People, as well as her own Glory) admitted fix
other Boroughs.
' The only Inflances which could give the leaft
Colour of Juftice to thefe Proceedings, were few
and weak. The Borough of Tregeny fent BurgefTes,
indeed, twice, viz. in the 23d and 35th ofE&udrdl,
but no more till the ift of Elizabeth. EaJl-Loo and
Fawy fent one and the fame Merchant, then called
a Ship- Owner, to a Council at Weftminfler (not to
Parliament) in the I4th of Edward III. c. Of
thefe, however, Queen Elizabeth laid hold, for the
more fpecious promoting her Defigns : In her firft
Year, (he revived the Claims of Tregeny, in the
fifth of her Reign f, BurgeiFes being returned for
St. German's and St. Maw's, in Cornwall, the
Speaker declared in the Houfe, That the Lord-
Steward agreed they (hould refort unto the Houfe,
and with convenient Speed, to {hew their Letters-
Patents why they be returned in this Parliament :*
But they were no farther queftioned, the Queen's
Inclinations being well underftood. %
4 In the 1 3th of Elizabeth, both EaJl-Loo and
Fawy
e See the original Writ, Prynnes Bri-v. Parliament, Vol. IV.
ji. 186, 187, where J. Shake/ok was returned at the fame Time for
Fclrtian only ; and thefe Members allowed, for forty-four Days, in
going to, Maying, and returning from Wcflminjltr^ 4/, I2i.
•f Prynnis Brrv. Par!. Vol. IV. p. JI7&,
S WMit, Vol. II, p. 1 68.
Of E N G L A N D. 219
Fawy elected two Members ; which being taken
Notice of and examined into, * Report was made
by the Houfe of the Validity of the JJurgefles ; and
it was oio'.Tcd, by the Attorney-General's Aflent,
That the Burgefles (hall remain according to their
Returns; for that the Validity of the Charters is
elfewhere to be examined, if Caufe be V « By
•which Means little or no Difptite being made againft
the Queen's Power, the Houfe became greatly in-
; with Reprefenratives, especially by the feud-
ing of Burgefles from thofe Boroughs. *
* Nor was it any Objection, adds this judicious
Antiquary, to their fending up Members, that thefe
Boroughs had little Trade, few Inhabitants, and
thofe poor and of no Eminence : Thefe Circum-
frances, in all Likelihood, did rather promote than
prevent their being privileged, as rendering them
more tradtable and dependent, than if they had been
Jarge and opulent Towns, inhabited by Peifons of
Trade, Rank, and Difcernment.
' It is true, indeed, thefe Places, fo fummoned,
were old Boroughs, in the legal Acceptation of the
Word ; that is, had Immunities granted them by
their Princes or Lords, Exemptions from Services
in other Courts, Privileges of exercifmg Trades, of
electing Officers within their own Diftri6r, and in-
vefted with the Property of Lands, Mills, Fairs, &c.
paying annually a certain Chief or Fee-P'arm Rent;
molt of them alfo were Parts of the antient Demefnes
of the Crown, and had been either in the Crown, or
in the Royal Blood, from the Norman Conqueftk,
and by paffing to and from the Crown often, and
their Privileges conftantly referved and confirmed at
every Transfer, thefe Towns had acquired a Kind
of nominal Dignity ; but were, in every other Light,
inconfiderable, and no ways intitled to the Power of
lending Members to Parliament j much lefs in Pre-
ference to fo many more populous Communities in
the other Parts of England.
Thus
h Prime's Part. Re^ifltr, Part IV. p. H7q.
i Jf'/.'AV, Vol. II. p. 102.
k Once only exempted, when Pierce Gaveflon was, by the F*vouf
Of r.d"jvar,i II, Earl of Corn-watt for a fliott Time,
220 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Thus much by way of Digreflion : Return
we now to our Hiftory of Crom well 's Protectorate ;
which we (hall conclude with a Catalogue of thofe
who thought it no Difgrace to receive Titles of Ho-
nour from that Ufurper, (befides his New Houfe of
Lords, and the Judges appointed by him in the fe-
veral Courts at Wejlmmfter, whofe Names have been
already mentioned in the Courfe of our Hillory,) viz.
VISCOUNT and BARON.
Honours eonf«f« 1657, July 20. Col.Charles Howard, of Gillejland,
c5J2^//TiriB in Cumberiand^ created Baron of
jjs F^otcftoraTe! Gillejland* and V ifcount Howard
of Morpetb. k
2658, April 26. Edmund bunch, Efq; created Ba-
ron Burnel, of Eaji Wittenham,
in Berkjhire.
BARONETS.
1656, June 25. John Read, of Brocket- Hall, in
Hertfordjhire, Efq;
^657, July 16. JohnCleypole, of Northampton/hire,
Efq;
Off. 6. Thorns* Chamberlain^ of Wickham^ in
Buckinghamjhire^ Efq;
Thomas Beaumont ', of St ought on-
Grange, in Leicefterjh'ire^ Efq;
24. y^» Twijleton^ of Horfeman 's-
Place, in Dartford, in ^«/3
Efq; '
Col. /&I0JI Ingoldjby.
Henry Wright^ of Dagenham, in
£/^, Efq;
28. Griffith Williams t of Carnarvon-
Jhire, E^q;
^/wg1. 13. Edmund Prideaux, of Padftow, in
Cornwall, Attorney- General to
his Highnefs.
1658,
k Mr. Wbithcke had an Offer of a Vifcount's Patent, but did not
think proper to accept it. Memorials, p. 675.
1 The Original Patent, granted by Cromwell to this Gentleman, is
now in the Poffeflion of his Dependents, at Ravtcli/t, in the County
'
Of E N G L A N D. 221
BARONETS. Inter-regnun,
1658, Aug. 13. William Ellis, of Grantham, in
Lincoln/hire. Sollicitor General.
28. William Wyndham, of Orcha*d-
in Somerjetjbire, Efqj
KNIGHTS.
1653, Feb. 8. Thomas Finer, Lord Mayor of
London.
1655, June x. John Copleflon,E^ Sheriff of Dt-
vonjhire.
1 1 . John Reynolds, Commiflary-Genc-
r.:l in Ireland.
Sept. 20. Chrijiopher Pack> Lord Mayor of
London.
Jan. 17. Col. Thomas Pride.
19. John Bark/lead, Lieutenant of the
Tower of London.
1656, May 3. M. De Coyte* Relident from the
Court of Sweden
Augujl. Richard Combe, of Combt, in Hert-
ford/hire, Efq;
Sept. 15. John Dethick) Lord Mayor of
London.
Geirpe Fleetwood, of Buckingham-
/hire, Efq;
Dec. 10. Col. William Lockhart, his High-
nefs's Refident at the Court of
France.
James Calthorpe, Efq; Sheriff of
Suffolk.
15. Robert Titchburn^ Lord Mayor of
London.
Lijlebone Long, Recorder of London.
Jan. 6. Col. James Whitlo he, Son of the
Lord Commiflioner.
March 3. Thomas Dicktnfon, Alderman of
t#*.
1657, June xi. Richard Stainer, Commander of
the Speaker Frigate.
Aug. 26. William Wheeler* of Channel- Row,
Wcjlminller, Efq;
KNIGHTS,
T,'he Parliamentary Hi s T OR V
KNIGHTS.
Nov. 2. Edward Ward, Efq; Sheriff of
Norfolk.
1 4. Thomas Andrews^ 1 . , ,
r* 0-7. r * f Aldermen of
ZJjr. c. Thomas Foot, > r ,
cri * L- London.
Thomas Atkins. }
Col. y0/;« Hewfon.
Jan. 6. 7<wx« Dr/st*-, Efq;
//^. ii. Henry Pickering, of Cambridge-
/hire, Efq;
Col. P/;;7/> Tiu'ijteton.
March 9. 7«/?« Lenthall, Efq-, Son of 7F/7-
//tfw Lentball, Maftcr of the
Rolls.
Ireton, Alderfhan of London.
To thefe may, not improperly, be adued the
Names of the feveral Barriflers called to the Degree
of Serjeants at Law, during Crorreuiell'* Protecto-
rate ; many of whom, after the Reiteration, be-
came the great Ornaments of the Bench.
1653, Jan. 25. Richard Pepys^ Thomas Fletcher,
and Matthew Hale, Efqrs.
Ftb. 9. William Steel, Efq; Recorder of
London, afterwards Lord Chief
Baron of the Exchequer; and,
fince, Lord Chancellor of Ire-
land.
John Maynard, Richard Newdi-
gate,ThomasTwifden, and Hugh
frFyndham, Efqrs.
^654, June 21. Union Crake and John Parker,
Efqrs.
,j655, - 28. Rc^er Hill, Efq;
1656, Off. 25. William Shephard* Efq;
Nov. 17. John Fountain and.£Ww&ytf, Efqrs*
Befides the Honours conferred by Oliver Crom-
well, his Son Henry, when Lord-Deputy of Ireland,
knighted the following Perfons, viz. Col. Matthew
Tomlinfan, Col. Robert Goodwin^ and Henry Jones,
Efq; a Volunteer at Dunkirk.
Of E N G L A N D. 223
Immediately upon the News of Cromwell's being Inter- regminu
dead, the following Account thereof was publifhed
by Authority :
Wliiteball* Sept. 3, 1658.
6 TTTIS moft Serene and Renowned Highnefs Oli-
JL JL ver Lord Protector, being, after a Sickncfs
of about fourteen Days (which appeared an Ague
in the Beginning) reduced to a very low Condition
of Body, began early this Morning to draw near the
Gate of Death ; and it pleafed God, about Three
o'Ciock in the Afternoon, to put a Period to' his
Life.
* We would willingly exprefs, upon this fad Occa- The Privy Coun-
fion, the deep Sorrow which hath poflefled the cil declare his el-
Minds of his moft Noble Son and Succeflbr, w4
other deareft Relations, had we Language fuffici-for.
ent : But all that we can ufe, will fall fliort of the
Merits of that moft excellent Prince. »
4 His
a In a Letter from Richard Cromwell, to a Relation of his, he
exprefles himfelf in this Manner concerning his Father's Sicknefs j
from whence may be formed feme Idea ot" his own Dilution and
Abilities.
Whitehall, Auguft 28, 1658.
For my worthy Friend Captain John Dunche, at Peufey, near
Abington, in Berk/hire.
SIR,
T Intended to have written to you by the fuft Return, but fine*
' J. his Highnefs has been fo ill, that I have not had either Oppor-
' tunity or Delirc to fet Pen to Paper j we have not been without
' very great Fears j for his Highnefs's Illnefs hath been fuch as hath
* put the Phyficians to a Nonplus. Our Hopes are fomewhat incrcafed
' by this Fit of an Ague ; and fliall it pleafe God to go on with his
* gentle Hand, and bring him temperately out of this Fit, and not
' renew it, at the Time his former Fit began, or vifit us with *
' Quartan, we mall have fome reviving Comfort, and Caufe to mag-
' niry his Goodnefs j it being a new Life to his Higlmefs and the Af-
' fairs, as they now ftand, of this Nation, with the Proteflant In-
* tereft of Chriftendom. J believe the Rumours of this dangerous
' Illnefs hath flown into all Parts of thi« Nation, and hath caufcd
' feveral Perfonsof ill Affeclions to prick up their Ears, which will
' caufe Friends to be vigilant, for they will hope they have a Game
' to play : It is a Time that will difcover all Colours, and much of
' the Difpofition of the Nation may now be gathered. I heard that
* thofe who have been Enemies, others that have been no Friends,
' fome of both, are ftartled ; fearing their PolTeflions, and worjfe
' Conditions, not confidering their Affeclion, in this Hazard his
J: mud be tke Gesdpcfs of God t,)ut fhall fave
Inter-regnum.
1658.
September.
224 The Parliamentary HISTORY
« His firft Undertakings for the Publick Intereft,
his working Things all along, as it were, out of
the Rock; his founding a Military Difcipline in.
thefe Nations, fuch as is not to be found in any
Example of preceding Times ; and whereby th£
Noble Soldiery of thefe Nations may, without Flat-
tery
' him, and his Knowledge of the State of England and Chriftendom j
* the Spirit of Prayer which is poured out for him, and the Faith
* which is ac"red on Behalf of him, gives us the beft Comfort and
' Hopes : Mine and my Wife's Refpecls to your Father and Mother.*
/ reft yours,
R. CROMWELL.
For the above Letter, and feveral others of Oliver and Richard
Cromwell, we are obliged to the Hon. Horace Walpole, Efq; Member
of Parliament for Lynn, who tranfcribed them from the Originals
found at Peufey, the Scat of the Duncbes Family, in Berkjkire.
Sir Philip Warwick and Mr. Ludtoi-j inform us, That during
Cromwell's Illnefs, Goodivyn, his Chaplain, ufed this Expreffion in his
Prayer, Lord, -we leg r.ot for bit Ren-very, for that tbou baft already
granted and afjured us of$ but for bit ffeedy Recovery, becaufe there
are divers Things of great Moment to be difpafcbed by him
Another Contemporary, (in a Pamphlet, infilled, A Second Nar-
rative of the (ate Parliament, printed in the ffth Tear of England's
Slavery, under its new Monarchy , 16158 ) writes, That when the News
of Cromvueirs Death wa ; brought to the Minifte-s and others who were
praying for him, iri the Chapel at Whitehall, Peter &terry, one of his
Chaplains, flood up and defiied the Company not fo be troubled :
For, faid he, This is good News : Then holdin forth his Bible, he
ipoke to this Purpofe : That if that -were the Word of God, then at
certainly that bleJJ'ed holy Spirit (mean;ng the late Pro'cdlor) ivas
•with Cbrift at tbe Right Hand of the Father : And if he were tbert,
vjhat might not his family, and tbe People of God, novj expflJ from
him ? For if b; taere Jo ufeful and helpful, and fo much Good was in-
fluenced, from him to them, •whin be ivas here in a mortal State, boio
much more Influence would ccme frim him novj be isas in Heaven f Tbe
Father, Son, and Spirit, th>o him, bejlo<wing Gifts and Gracat upon
them — With a great deal more to the f>me blafphemous Purpofe.
But thefe EnthufiafticRhapfodies were not confined to Cromweirs
Chaplains j for Fleetivood, Henry Cromwell, Lord Fauconberg, Tbur-
loe, and others, fall very lirtle fhort of them j as may be fcen in their
Letters on Occ^fion of the P o eclor's Sirknefs and Death 5 of which
the following Extracts are a fufficient Specin.en, vix.
THURLOE'S Letter to HENRY CROMWELL, Lord Deputy of Ire-
land, Avgxfi 24, 1658.
' Your Excellency will eafily imagine. h»w much Trouble we are
' all under here, on Occafron of his Highr.cfs's Illnefs : And though
« it laall pieafe the Lord to recorer him again, yet certainly confider-
• ing the Time that this Vifiuticn is in, and other Ckcumftanccs
« rela'
Of ENGLAND. 225
tery, be commended for Piety, Moderation, and inter- rc^num.
Obedience, as a Pattern to be imitated, but hardly 1658.
to be equalled, by fucceeding Generations : His *— ~^"
Wifdom and Piety in Things Divine j his Prudence S*Pteml>er'
in Management of Civil Affairs, and Conduct of
Military, and admirable SuceefTes in all, made him
a Prince indeed among the People of God ; by whofe
Prayers being lifted up (o the Supreme Dignity, he
became more highly feated in their Hearts, becaufe,
in all his Aclings, it was evident that the main De-
VOL. XXI. P fign
' relating thereunto, it cannot but greatly afTecl us all towards Ged j
' and make us deeply fenfible how much our Dependance is upon
• him, in whofc Hands is the Life and Breath of this his old Servant j
' and if he ftiould take him away from amongft us, how terrible a
' Blow it would be to all the good People of the Land ; and that
' therefore we fiiould be careful how \ve walk towards God, left ws
' provoke him to depart from us, and bring upon us this great Evil.
• The People of God, here, pray much for his Recovery, and I hope;
' thofe in Ireland will do the fame j for to have his Life fpared, and
« his Health reftored, by Prayer, will be a great Addition to r.hp
« Mercy.'
General FLEITWOOD to HENRY CROMWELL of the fame Date tvitk
the abwe.
' There arc none but what are deeply concerned in this Difpenfa-
' tion of the Lord towards his Highnefs, that have a true Love to
' the blcffed Caufe : For the further carrying on of the fame, the
' Lord will bring him forth with more Vigour, Life, and Zeal, his
' Highnefs having had very great Difcpveries of the Lord to him in
' his Sicknefs ; and hath had fome Afluiances of his being reftorcd,
' and made further fervicr.able in this Work : This latter is fecretly
' kept, and therefore I ihall dtfire it may not go further than ycup
' own Breaft ; but I think there is that in this Experience, which,
' may truly be worthy of your further Knowledge.'
THURLOI to HENRY CROMWELL, Stft. 4, 1658.
« The Lord Proteftor died Yefterday, about Four of the Clock in
' the Afternoon. I am not able to fpeak or write, this Stroke is fy
' fore, fo unexpected ; the Providence of God in it fo ftupcnduous,
< confidtring the Perfon that is fallen, the Time and Seafon wherein
' God took him away, with other Circumftances, that I can do no-
• thing but put my Mouth in theDuft, and fjy, It :t the Lord-, an4
• though his Ways be not always known, yet they are always rigrxe-
' ous ; and we muft fubmit to his Will, and xefign up ourfelvcs to
' him with all our Concernments.
' It is not to be fdid what Affliction the Army and all People
' fiiew to Lis late Highnefs ; his Name is already precious. Never
• was there any Man fo prayed for as he was during his Sicknefs ;
< fulemn Afll-mblies meeting, every Day, to befccch the Lord for
' th: Continuance of l.is Life ; fo that he is gone to Hea\en, em-
• balmed with the Tears of his People, and upon the Wings of th«
»' ?ra.yers of the Saints,' b-.attPaftrt, Vol. VII. p. 355, tt ftj,
226 The Parliamentary HISTORY
fjgn was to make his own Intereft one and the fame
with theirs, that it might be fubfervient to the ereat
Ititer&ofJefusChrt/t.
' And in the promoting of this, his Spirit knew
no Bounds ; his Affeclion could not be confined at
home, but broke forth into foreign Parts, where
he was, by good Men, univerfaily r.dmired as an
Extraordinary Perfon raifed up of God, and by them
owned as the great Proteclor and Patron of the Evan-
gelical Profeffion. This being faid, and the World
itfelf witnefs of it, we can only add, That God
gave him Bleffings proportionable to all thefe Vir-
tues; and made him a Bleffing to us, by his Wif-
dom and Valour, to fecure our Peace and Liberty,
and to revive the antient Renown and Reputation of
our Native Country.
* After all this, it is remarkable, how it pleafed
the Lord, on this Day, to take him to reft, it having
formerly been a Day of Labours to him ; for which
both himfelf and the Day (Sept. 3.) will be mod
renowned to Pofterity ; it having been to him a Day
of Triumphs and Thankfgiving for the memorable
Victories of Dunlar and Woreefter: A Day which,
after fo many ftrange Revolutions of Providence,
high Contradictions and wicked Confpiracies of
unreafonable Men, he lived once again to fee ; and
then to die, with great Afiurances and Serenity of
Mind, peaceably in his Bed.
* Thus it hath proved to him to be a Day of Tri-
umph indeed j there being much of Providence in
it, that, after fo glorious Crowns of Victory placed
on his Head by God, on this Day, having neglect-
ed an Earthly Crown, he fhould now go to receive
the Crown of Everlafting Life.
* Being gone, to the unfpeakable Grief of all good
Men, the Privy Council immediately afiembled ;
and being fatisfied that the Lord Protector was dead,
and upon fure and certain Knowledge that his late
Highnefs did, in his Life-time, according to the
Humble Petition and Advice, declare and appoint
the molt Noble and Illuftrious Lord the Lord Rich-
ard, JDldeft Sou of his &id Highnefs, to fucceed
him
Of ENGLAND. 227
him in the Government as Lord Protector, it was inter-regnum.
fo rcfolved at the Council b •> which being made
known to the Officers of the Army, it was pleafant
to behold, with how much Content and Satis-
fa6tion they received the Notice of it, and unani-
moufly concurred therewith; being reiblved, to
their utmoft, to maintain the SucceiTion, according
to Law : Which worthy Refolution of theirs, as it
fpeaks them Men of Honour, Prudence, and Fideli-
ty, mindjjul of the Merits of their late great Leader,
and Common Father, and of the grand Intereft of
Eftablifhment, after all our Shakings ; fo it is but
anfwerable to the Worth and Noblencfs of his Son,
who, in all Refpe&s, appears the lively Image of
his Father, the true Inheritor of his Chriftian Vir-
tues ; a Perfon, who by his Piety, Humanity, and
other Noble Inclinations, hath obliged the Hearts
of all ; and thereby filled this People with Hopes of
much Felicity, through God's Bleffingupon his Go-
vernment.
' The Council having waited upon the New Lord
Protector, the Prefident acquainted him with their
Proceedings, to which his Highnefs made a fuitable
Return, in Countenance and Language, exprefling
a very deep Senfe, as well of his own Sorrow for
the Lois of his rnoft dear Father, as of the Faith-
fulnefs and fmgular good Affection manifefled by
the Council toward his deceafed Father and himfelf,
in the prefent Occasion, and of the great Weight of
P 2 Govern-
* Sir Philip War-wick, in his Memoirs, fays, ' He was aCuted by
one of Cromwell' 's Phyficians, with whom he was intimately ac-
quainted, that the Protector, during his whole Sicknefs, was never
Matter of fo niuch Rcafon as to determine any thing concerning his "*
Succeflbr, or Matters of State ; altlio' it was pretended, by Secretaiy
1 'burke, and Gt'.dinln his Chaplain, that he appointed his Son Rich-
ard to furceed him 5 and that the Council duift not proclaim him
as Protector ontill fleeiiowd, his Brother-in-Law, and Deftaraxgi,
his Uncle, had given their Confent j betaufe it was well known that
Oliver had figned an Inftrument, by which the Protedoifhip was to
devolve upon FltefwooJ.
Mr. Mcliett in Iiis Life of Lord Brogblll, confirms the Account
ofCiwwtir* Intentions Ln Favour of bi^nvcodi adding, That when
Crewel! was a/ked, Who fhould fucceed him ? he aalwered, Th »r
in fuch a Drawer in a Cabinet of his Clofer, they ffiould find his W,ll }
but that one cf his Daughters had taken it awvy, and burnt it,
228 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
September
Inter-regnum. Government, by God's Providence, now laid up-
1 ° on k's Shoulders ; and which he could not hope to
^u^am anv other Way, than by being borne up by
their Prayers, and by the Prayers of the reft of
God's People, whofe Peace and Profpeiity he
would, to the utmoft of his Power, endeavour to
promote in the Government of thefe Nations, &c.
' The next Morning, about Nine, the Lords of
the Council meeting in the Council -Charffber, gave
Command for the proclaiming of the Lord Protec-
tor ; and all Things being in Readinefs, with divers
Troops of Horfe and Companies of Foot attending,
betwixt the Hours of Ten and Eleven, the Trum-
pets founded ; the Trumpeters went before the
Heralds and Officers at Arms in their Formalities,
and three Serjeants at Arms with their Maces fol-
lowed. As they pafied along the Court, they did
Obeifance, three Times, to their Lordfhips of the
Council, who (hewed themfelves, out at the Coun-
cil-Chamber-Window, Witneffes of this high and
happy Solemnity before a numerous Concourfe of
People. Then the Officers drawing near under the
Window, a Trumpet founded ; after which one of
the Clerks, attending the Council, produced the Pro-
clamation, which was read aloud by Norroy King at
Arms, in the following Words :
er of TfcrHEREAS it hath pleafcd the rmji Wife GW,
r°" 7* his Prov'ldence-> to take out °f this World)
the mo ft Serene and the moft Renowned Oliver, late
Lord Proteflor of this Commonwealth ; and his fold
* Highnefs having, in his Life-time , according to the
Humble Petition and Advice, declared and appointed
the mcft Noble and Illuftrious toe Lord Richard,
eldeft Son of his faid late Highnefs, to fucceed him
in the Government of thefe Nations : We therefore of
the Privy Council, together with the Lord Mayor^
Aldermen, and the Citizens cf London, the Officers
of the Army, and Numbers of other principal Gentle -
da now hereby, with one full Voice and Con-
fent
The Mann
Of E N G L A N D. 229
fent of Tongue and Heart, publijh and declare the
faid Noble and IlluJIrious Let a Richard to be right-
fully Protector ef this CwimomueaUh of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, and the Dominions and Ter-
ritorics thereto belonging ; to whom we do acknowledge
all Fi.'Ielitv and conjlant Obedience, according to Law,
and the faid Humble Petition and Advice, with all
hearty and humble Affections ; befeeching the Lord,
by whcm Princes rule, to blefs him with long Life*
and thefe Nations with Peace and Happinejs under
his Government.
RlCHARoCHIVERTON, PHILIP JoNES.
Mayor. Jo. THURLOE.
HENRY LAWRENCE, FAUCONBERG.
Prejidcnt. EDWARD WHALLEY.
NATHANIEL FIENNES, W. GOFFE.
C. 5. THO. COOPER.
JOHN LISLE, C. S. OLIVER FLEMING.
C. FLEETWOOD. JOHN CLERK.
P. LISLE. THOMAS PRIDE.
Jo. DESBROWE. EDMUND PRIDEAUX.
E. MONTAGU. TOBIAS BRIDGE.
GIL. PICKERING. ED. SALMON.
CHA. WOLSELEY. J. BISCOE.
PHILIP SKIPPON. WALDINE LAGOE.
WILLIAM SYDENHAM. JOHN MILLS.
WAL. STRICKLAND. E. GROSVENOR, bV,
God fave His Highnefi RICHARD Lord Protestor.
* This was follow'd with loud Acclamations ot"
the People, God fave the Lord Protector.
' Then the Heralds, Serjeant at Arms, and other
Officers, mounting on Horfebaclc at the Court-
Gate, departed towards Weftminjhr\ and the Lords
of the Council, in their Coaches, accompanied
them, together with the Lords Commiffioners of the
Great Seal and other high Officers of State, with
the Officers of the Army, attended by his Highnefs's
Gentlemen of his Life-guard, the Gentlemen of
his Houfhold, and a large Train of Perfons of Ho-
nour and Quality mounted on Horfeback, as alfo
by feveral Troops and Companies of Horfe and
P 3 Foot;
230 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. Foot j who being arrived in the Palace-Yard at
1658. Weftminfter^ Proclamation was made, as before, by
~v~~'— f Sound of Trumoet, and feconded bv the Rejoicings
September. of the peop}e.
' From thence they proceeded along the Strand
towards Temple-Bar^ where the Lords of the Coun-
cil and the whole Company being received by the
Lord Mayor of London, in his Purple Velvet Gown,
with the Aldermen his Brethren, in State, on Horfe-
back, their Attendant Officers, and the Committee
of the Militia of London, they proceeded to Chancery
Lane End, and thence to the End of Wood-Street^ ia
Cbeapjide ; at both which Places Proclamation was
made again, and the good Affections of the City
abundantly teftified by their joyful Acclamations.
' From thence the whole Company went to the
Royal Exchange, in Cornhill^ where they arrived at
high Exchange-Time ; and, in the Audience of an
innumerable Concourfe of People, his Highnefs our
moft Serene Prince, RICHARD Lord Protector,
was, the laft Time, proclaimed j after which, the
largeft Demonftrations of Love and Loyalty were
lively fet forth in the Tongues and Countenances
of the Citizens of that renowned City, whofe Wel-
fare and Profperity was much in the Eye and upon
the Heart of his Princely Father ; and their Senfe
of it was manifefted by their reiterated Shouts and
Acclamations, upon this great Occafion ; many
Vollies of Shot alfo were given by the Soldiery,
drawn up there to attend the Ceremony.
* About Four in the Afternoon, the Lord Mayor
and Aldermen, in their Formalities, went to White-
hally to make their dutiful Acknowledgements, in
the Name of the City, to the New Lord Protestor,
as well to condole with him for the Death of his
late Highnefs, as to congratulate him touching his
own Pofleflion of the Prote&oral Dignity, and to
/urrender up the Sword of the City ; who being in-
troduced into a Room of Attendance, the Council
in the mean Time met together ; and, after a while,
their Lordfhips, together with the Lord Mayor and
Aldermen, being admitted to his Highnefs's Prefence
in
Of E N G L A N D. 231
in a large Room, the Lord Mayor presented the
City Sword to him, which he receiving, immedi-
ately returned it into the Hands of the Lord Mayor,
After fome other Ceremonies pafled, Dr. Thomas
Goodwin flood forth and prayed unto the Lord for
a Bleiling upon his Highnefs's Perfon, his Govern-
ment, his Forces, by Sea and Land, and upon all
the People of tliefe Nations, &c. which being ended,
the moil Noble Nathaniel Lord Plenties, one of the
Lords Commiffioners of the Great Seal, and one of
his Highnefs. 's moft Honourable Privy Council, ad-
miniftercd the Oath to his Highnefs, as prefcribed
by the Humble Petition and Advice. a
* This being done, his Highnefs addrefled him-
felf to the Lord Mayor, exprcfling his high Appre-
henfions, touching the good Affections and Fidelity
of. the City toward his own Perfon and Government;
his Lordfhip and his Brethren thereupon humbly
took their Leave and departed ; and his Highnefs,
with his Privy Council, retiring into another Room,
a Proclamation, pafled by the Council, was there
prcfented and read to him, and confented to by him,
iignifying his Highnefs's Pleafure, That all Perfona
who were in Office under the Government, at the
Deceafe of his late Highnefs, (hould fo Continue till
further Directions.
* Then the Council departing, the Officers of the
Army went in, and made their perfonal Addrefles to
his Highnefs, by whom they were gracioufly receiv'd.
* The Ceremony of the Day being over, the
Evening concluded with the Report of an hundred
Pieces of Ordnance planted upon the Tower.
Our Gazetteer clofes his Narrative with the
following Prayer, May all the Days of his High-
neffs Life be crowned with the Blejfings of the moft
High God, and the high eft- Affeftions of bis People.'
Thus was Richard Cromwell proclaimed Oliver's
lawful Succcflbr ; and became poflefled of all his
Father's Greatnefs, and all his Glory, without the
public Hate that vifibly attended the other; in Ho-
ziour of whofe Character, fome of the greateft Ge-
nius'
» The Form of this Oath if already given, at p, 148,
"Parliamentary HISTO&V
Intcr-regnum. nius' of the Age, as Waller * Dryden, Sprat, and
5s8> others, facrificed their own. Both the Universities,
September. a^°» exerc^e^ tneir Wits upon this Occafion, iii
poetical Condolences and Congratulations.
Lieutenant- General Fleet-wood ', in the Name of
HiVluittfsAccef-the Officers of the Army in England; Monk> for
feTbyth? Three thofe of Scotland> Sir Charles Coote, for Ireland; and
Kingdoms. Lockhart^ from Dunkirk ; all congratulated Richard's
Acceffion, and renewed their Vows of Fidelity to
him ; Admiral Montague, in Behalf of the Navy,
did the fame ; the City of London appeared more
Unanimous for his Service, than they were for his
Father's ; and moft Counties, Cities, and capital
Towns in the Three Nations, and even the Planta-
tions, by Addreffes under their Hands, teftified their
Obedience to their New Sovereign.
In many of thefe folemn Congratulations the
young Protector was highly magnified for his Wif-
dom, Noblenefs of Mind, and lovely Compofition
of Body; his Father Oliver was compared to Mo-
fes9 'Lerubbabel^ Jojhua, Gideon, and Elijah ; to
David, Solomon, and Hlzekiah ; to Conftantine the
Great, and to whomfoever elfe that either the Sa-
cred Scriptures, or any other Hiftory, had celebra-
ted for their Piety or their Goodnefs, their Wifdoni
or their Valour, with all the mod fulfome Comple-
ments the bafeft Flattery could fuggeft. — Of thefe
•we fhall give one only as a Specimen, which feems
to have been the Model of all the reft ; and this the
rather, as it is a direcl: Contraft to what was pre-
fented from the fame Body of Men, a few Months
after. The Curiofity of this Piece will attone for
the Prolixity of it. * „-
g From a Pamphlet, intitlcd, d true Catalogue, or an Account of
the feveral Places, and weft eminent Perfons in the Three Nations, and
etfeivbere, ivbere, and by lobom, Richard Cromwell tvas proclaimed
Lord Protefhr oftbeCommor.'wealtbof^.n^&n^, Scotland, and Ire-
land : As a'fo a Col/efiion of the moj} material PaJJ'ages in the J'rveral
blafpbemous, lying, faltering AddreJJ'es, being 94 in Number, -wbicb
lucre fent to the afirefaid Pcrfon, with the Places from ivher.ci, and
rnojl eminent Perfons from, and by <wbom they came, and •were pre-
fented. Printed in the f.rfl Tear of the Englifli Armies final/, or
Jcarce beginning to return from their dlmoft fix Years great Apflacy.
The Author of this Performance appears to have been a zealous
Fifth- Monarchy- Man,
Of ENGLAND. 233
To his Higbncfi the Lord Protettor of the Common- inter-regmim.
wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and 1658.
the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging^ *--* v~ —
September.
The HUMBLE ADDRESS of the Officers of your
Highnefs's jinnies in England, Scotland, and
Ireland/
May it pleafe your Highnefs,
c "T T THEN we call to Mind how God, the great A remarkable
« W and wife Difpofer of all Things, hath, by Akddrf fro!n
to- f-rt • i . , ' the Army on
' a Ions; continued benes of Providence, carried on that Qccafian.
* his Work in thefe Nations by the Hands of feve-
' ral Inftruments, making it manifeftly to profper in
' the Hands of a!! thofe that did heartily own his
* Caufe and People ; but inoft remarkably and
4 eminently, in the Hands of that Man whom he
* had chofen, your deceafed Father, whofe Memo-
' ry (hall be bleft, and will be had in perpetual Re-
' membrance amongft good Men, as having been
* the great Aflertor of the Liberties of God's People,
' an Inftrument to reftbre thefe Nations to Peace, a
* Lover of their Civil Rights, and fo indefatigable in
* his Endeavours after Reformation ; the mention-
' ing of whom may well ftrike our Hearts with
' unconceiveable Sorrow and Abafement, to think
« that we, by our Sins, have provoked the God of
* all our Mercies to give us fuch a Stroke, by taking
' from us the Delight of our Eyes, and, under God,
* the Captain of his People, upon whom the Eyes
c of Foreign Princes were fixed with Reverence and
' Expectation.
4 Oh ! how glorioufly did the Lord appear for and
' with him in the midft of his People, making the
' Mountains to become a Plain before him, and
* carrying him upon the Wuigs of Faith and Prayer,
' above all Difficulties and Oppofitions. How did
* the Graces of God's Spirit evidently fliine forth in
' him ! In his Armies he reckoned the choiceft
' Saints his chicfcft Worthies j in his Family, thofe
' that were near and dear to God, were near and
dear
234 ^oe Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. ' dear to him. His Eyes were upon the Faithful ia
« the Land, to relieve many, to advance fome, to
' protect and countenance all. In the Things of
< God he had a tender and large Heart, to love all
' the Saints though of different Judgments. He had
c great Acquaintance with the Lord, mighty in
* Faith and Prayer, which made him fo conilant
* and glorious a Victor.
' Your Highnefs, your Armies and People, reap
« the Benefit of his Prayers and SuccefTes ; but, alas !
« this our Mofes (your dear and bleffed Father) the
e Servant of the Lord is dead, and fhall we not
* weep ? Though we weep not for him, yet we can-
* not but weep for ourfelves. We cannot but look
< after him crying, Our Father,, our Father, tke
* Chariots of Ifrael and the Horfemen thereof !
' When we confider thefe Things, we cannot
* but reverence the fame Providence, in bringing
* your Highnefs to fucceed him in the Government,
* with fo much Serenity and general Confent and
* Approbation of the People, when the Enemy fo
* ftrenuoufly endeavours to promote Diffractions and
* Divifions ; and we cannot but hope, though it
* hath pleafed the Lord fliarply to rebuke us, yet he
* will not caft us off, nor withdraw his fatherly Af-
* fedlions from us ; but, in our Returnings, he will
* give us Reft, and will enable your Highnefs to
* carry on that good old Caufe and Intereft of
' God and his People upon your Heart continually,
* and then he will carry you as upon Eagles Wing?,
* above all the Malice and wicked Machinations of
* ungodly Men, to do valiantly in Ifrael, in the
' further enlarging of the Kingdom of 'Jefus Chrift,
in maintaining the Chriftian Liberty of all fober
dly Men, though of different Opinions in fonie
hings ; the defending of the Civil Rights of the
' whole People of thefe Nations j and the Reform a-
*• tion of all Abufes ;
* And more particularly, that we may open our
' Hearts before you, we hope and pray that God
* will enable your Highnefs to endeavour, that the
* Army which fhall bethought fit to be kept up in the
Three
' godl
' Thi
Of ENGLAND. 335
< Three Nations, may be continued, and kept un-
' der the Command of fuch Officers as are of ho-
' neft and godly Principles, free to adv&nture all
< that is dear to them, by all lawful Ways and ScPUmk<:;-
* Means to maintain an equal and juft Liberty to all
* Perfons that profefs Godlinefs, that are not of tur-
* bulent Spirits as to the Peace of thefe Nations, nor
' Difturbers of other?, though different in fome
* Things from themfclves, according to the true In-
' tent of the Humble Petition and Advice.
' That the Vacancies in your Highnefs Council,
* and other Places of Public Truft, be, from Time
* to Time, fupplied and filled up with Men ot known
' Godlinefs and fober Principles, that they, with,
* your Highnefs and your Armies, may make it their
' Work to carry on the Concernments of the Godly
' in thefc Nations, and the Civil Rights of the
' People thereof, upon their Hearts, with full Pur-
* pofe to maintain the fame ; and that a Work of
' Reformation, tending to good Life and Manners*
' may be vigoroufly carried on by the Hands of good
* Magiftrates, and thofe Things that are vexatious
' and oppreffive to the People may be fupprefled.
' That the Provifion made for the eje&ing fcan-
* dalous, ignorant, and infufficient Minifters ; and
* that for the Approbation of Minifters, tending to
' the bringing in of godly and able Preachers into
' the feveral Places of thefe Nations (whereby poor
' and ignorant Souls may be brought to the Knoif -
* ledge of the Truth) may be own'd and maintain'd
* in their Power, according to the Afts of Parliament ;
' and that any who (hall difcourage or difcotmte-
' nance good Minifters in thefe Nations, by encou-
c ra£mg loofe and profane Perfons to orppofe and flight
' them for not admitting fuch as are loofe and profane
' to the Sacrament, may be difcountenanced and pu-
4 nifhed.
* In your Profccution whereof, we hope that God
c will affift us to make it known to your Highnefs*
<• and all the World, that we aim not at any private
* Intereft or End of our own ; but that we (hall be
' heartily and faithfully with you, as we have been
with
236
The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum, wt your Father, to adventure our Lives and all
1658. * that is dear unto us to ftand by you. Thefe being
*— — v—* J ' the Principles upon whieh we engaged with your
September. < bleffed jrather, and were blefied of God in, and
' we truft God will direct your Heart to be fixed
4 and bottomed upon the fame Principles, which we
* are perfuaded God will own you in, and blefs us
* in {landing by you againft all that {hall oppofe you
' therein, or make it their Defign to change or al-
' ter the prefent Government eftablifh'd in a fingJe
' Perfon and two Houfes of Parliament, according
* to the Humble Petition and Advice, or fhall en-
* deavour the Subverfion thereof, or the Difturbance
« of the Peace of thefe Nations.
6 And we are confident you will have the concur-
< rent Helps of the Prayers and Endeavours of the
' People of God, whereby your Heart and Hand
* will be ftrengthened to ride on profper-oufly, to the
' Joy and Rejoicing of all good Men, and to the
' Terror and Difappointment of all your Adverfa-
' ries, when they {hall perceive you inherit, not
' only your Father's Glory and Authority, but alfo
* the Hearts of his old faithful Followers ; and
' (which crowns all) the Blefling of the God of youu
* Father ; which that it may be continued unto you,
' and profper you, in all that you put your Hand un-
* to, is and fhall be the continual Prayer of
Tour Higbnefs's mojl bumble and loyal Servants.
The foregoing Addrefs, which was prefented to
the Protector by Lieutenant-General Fleetwood and
the Officers, then in and about the Head Quarters,
we are told h, was drawn up at Court, and Copies
thereof fent to the feveral Regiments of the Three
Nations, to be fubfcribed. — This is highly probable,
when we confider how nearly related Flcctivocd was
to Richard Cromwell. The prefenting one General
Addrefs from the Three Armies was the Contrivance
of Henry Cromwell^ Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, in
order
l> On the Authority of the laft- cited Writer, who gives feveral
good Reafons for his Aflertion.
Of E N G L A N D. 237
order to difplay the great Unanimity of the Soldiery intcr-regnum.
in Support of his Brother's Succeflion. * But 1658.
The Refpect paid to the young Lord Protector *— v—~ '
was not confined to his own Subjects. Foreign SePtembcr«
Princes and States addrefled their Condolences to
him, and fought a Renewal of their Alliances : On ^he Foreign
this Occafion M. de Bourdeavx, the Ambaffa-^S? JJ!
dor from France (with which Court Oliver hadvoirs to his
eftablifhed the moft intimate Connections and Pro- Highnefs.
feflions of Friendfliip) diftinguiflied himfelf before
all others k ; for, at an Audience he had of Richard*
to which he was introduced by Sir Oliver Fleming^
Mafter of the Ceremonies, he prefented to his High-
nefs two Letters ; one from his Majefty of France^
the other from his Eminency Cardinal Mazarin^ as
Chief Minifter of State ; and delivered himfelf, in
a Speech, to this Effect : * That his Mafter, the
King of France^ having heard of the Death of his
late Highnefs, of glorious Memory, did very much
take to Heart the Lofs of fo great a Captain, and
fo good an Ally of his Crown : That his Majefty
rejoiced at being informed that, in order to the re-
pairing fo great a Lofs, it had pleafed God to eftablilh
his Highnefs, as his Father's undoubted SuccefTor :
That it was the Defire of his moft Chriftian Ma-
jefty, by all Means, to maintain that Alliance and
Amity, which had hitherto been of fo great Advan-
tage to both Nations : And that his Majefty, to
manifeft the Sincerity of his Friendfliip, would be
ready upon any Occafion, either with his Councils
or Forces, to aflift the Lord Protector againft any
of his Enemies or Oppofers whatfoever.'1 To which
the Ambaflador added, on his own Behalf, ' That
as he himfelf had a great Affection for the Englijb
Nation, having now many Years refided here, and
a particular Regard for the Perfon of his late High-
i WmrlH, Vol. VII.
k Nouvelltt Orjinaires dt Londres.
1 Although Maxann proftficd fo great Regard for Cromwell, yet as
foon as that Cardinal heard, at Purii, of Oliver's Death, he pcrfo.
nally waited upon the Queen-Mother of England, to congratulate her
thereupon, as the moft probable Accident that could have happened
to advance her Soa's Re/Uration,
238 jT/6f Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. nefs the Lord Protestor, to whom he always bore a
l658« Profound Reverence on account of his Princely
September ^ *rtues > f° ne &ould at all Times be ready to give
his moft Noble Son and Succeffor a Teftimony how
joyful he was to fee his Highnefs thus happily efta-
bliftied in the Government, and how ueurous he
was to render him every pofiible Proof of his Kfteem
and Devotion.'
A general Faft ^ne 10[h of this Month was obferved, by his
on account or Tr. . r . ,,, ., ... r T> n-
the Death of Highnefs and the Council, as a Day of fairing
Oliver Crotewell.yoA Humiliation, in a Senfe of the Hand of God
for taking away the late Lord Protector, and to
ieek for a Bleffing on his Highnefs, the New Lord
Protector, and his Government. The lame was
afterwards folerruiized throughout the Three Na-
Before we make any further Progrcfs into the
Protectorate of Richard Cromwell^ it may, perhaps,
be no incurious Digreffion to take Notice of the
RefpeiSt he (hewed to his Father's Memory ; by
cauimg his .Body to be interred in the Sepulchre of
the Kings of England, with all the Obfequies due
to Royalty. — The Ceremonial thereof was publifh-
ed, at this Time, by Authority, in the following
Terms :
The Manner of ' ®n t^ie 2^n °^ ^ePtem^er tne Corpfe of his late
tiis lying in State Highnefs Oliver Lord Protector, having been em-
at Somerfet- balmed the Day after his Death, was removed from
Hmfe> Whitehall, attended by the Lord Chamberlain, and
the Comptroller of his Highnefs Houihold, the
Gentlemen of the Life-Guard, the Guard of Hal-
berdiers, and many other Officers and Servants of
his Highnefs. Two Heralds, or Officers of Arms,
went next before the JBody, which, being put into a
Herfe drawn by fix Horfes, was conveyed to Somer-
fet-Hoiife, where it refted fomeDays privately; but
afterwards was expofed to publick View, in the fol-
lowing Manner :
« The firft Room the People entered, was for-
merly the Prefenee Chamber, which was hung
com.7
LAND. 239
and at the upper End a inter.regnui».
Of E N G
compleatly with Black ;
Cloth of iState, with a Chair of State ftanding up-
on the Haut-pas, under the Cloth of State.
4 From thence they pafled to a fecond large
Room, which was the Privy-Chamber, all com-
pleatly huno- with Black, and a Cloth of State at
the upper End j having alfo a Chair of State upon
the Haut-pas, under the Cloth of Sate.
' The third Room was a large Withdrawing
Chamber, compleatly hung as the other with black
Cloth, and a Cloth of State at the upper End ; ha-
ving alfo a Chair of State, as in the other Rooms.
4 All thefe three large Rooms were compleatly
furnifhed with Efcutcheons of his Highnefs Arms,
crowned with the Imperial Crown ; and upon the
Head of each Cloth of State, was fixed a large Ma-
iefty-Efcutcheon fairly painted, and gilt, upon Taf-
rity.
' The fourth Room, where both the Body and
the Effigies lay, was compleatly hung with black
Velvet j the Roof of the faid Room cieled alfo with
Velvet, and a large Canopy or Cloth of State or
black Velvet fringed, over the Effigies, which was
made to the Life in Wax, and appareled in a rich
Suit of uncut Velvet, being robed firft in a Kirtle-
Robe of Purple Velvet, laced with a rich Gold Lace,
and furr'd with Ermins ; upon the Kirtle was a Royal
large Robe of the like Purple Velvet, laced and furr'd
with Ermins, with rich Strings and Taflels of Gold ;
the Kirtle was girt with a rich embroidered Belt, in
which was a fair Sword richly gilt, and hatcht with
Gold, hanging by the Side of the Effigies ; in the
Right Hand the Golden Scepter, repreienting Go-
vernment; in the Left Hand a Globe, reprefenting
Principality; upon the Head, the Cap of Regality ot"
Purple Velvet, furr'd with Ermins ; behind the Head,
a rich Chair of State of Cloth of Gold tiflued ; upon
the Cufhion of the Chair flood the Imperial Crown
fet with precious Stones.
' The whole Effigies lay upon a Bed of State co-
ver'd with a large Pall of black Velvet, under which
was
1658.
< <~~i
September.
240 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum, was fpread a fine Holland Sheet, upon fix Stools of
1658. Cloth of Gold tiflued ; on the Sides of the Bed of
State lay a rich Suit of complete Armour, reprefent-
em er. ^ ^;s late Highnefs's Command as General; at
the Feet of the Effigies flood the Royal Creft of
Arms, as ufual in all antient Monuments; and over
all the following Inscription :
OLIVER CROMWELL,
Lord Proteftor of England, Scotland, and Ireland,
Born ut Huntingdon,
Of the Name of Williams, of G;«.tnorgan, and ly
King Henry VIII. changed into Cromwell ;
Wai educated in Cambridge, afterwards of Lincoln's
Inn.
At the Beginning of the Wars, Captain of a Troop of
Horfc raifed at his own Charge ;
And by the Parliament made Commander In Chief.
He reduced Ireland and South-Wales ;
Overthrew Duke Hamilton'* Army^ the Kir&'s Army,
at Dunbiir ;
Reduced all Scotland ;
Defeated Charles Stuart'* Army at Worcefter.
tie had two Sons,
Lord Richard, Proteffor in his Father'1 's room j
Lord Henry, now Lord Deputy of Ireland ;
And four Daughters,
Lady Bridget, firft married Lord Ireton, afterwards
Lieutenant -General Fleet wood ;
Lady Elizabeth, married Lord Cleypole ;
Lady Mary, married Lord Fifcount Fauconberg ;
Lady Frances, married the Hon. Robert Rich,
Grand-Child to the Rt. Hen. the Earl of Warwick.
He was declared Lord Pruie-ftor of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, Dec. 16, 1653.
Died Sept. 3, 1658, after fourteen Days Sicknefs> of
an Ague ', with great njjitrancs and Serenity cfMmdi
Peaceably in his Bed.
Natus, Ap. 15, 1599.
Dunkirk, in Flanders, furrendered to him, June 20S
1658.
'
Of ENGLAND. 241
« The Bed of State, upon which the Effigies Jay,
was afcended to by two Steps, cover'd with the t
aforefaid Pall of Velvet ; and the whole Work in- September.
compafll-cl about with Rails covered with Velvet;
at each Corner was erected a fquare Pillar, cover-
ed with Velvet, upon the Tops whereof were the
Supporters of the Imperial Arms, bearing Banners,
or Streamers, crowned ; the Pillars were decorated
with Trophies of Military Honour, carved and gilt;
the Pedeftals of the Pillars had Shields and Crowns
gilt, which made the whole Work noble and com-
pleat; within the Rails Hood eight great Standards,
or Candlefticks of Silver, being almoft five Feet
in Height, with great Tapers in them of Virgin's
Wax, three Feet in Length.
* Next to the Candlefticks, were fet upright in
Sockets, the four great Standards of his Highnefs's
Arms, the Guidons, the great Banners and Ban-
Rolls of War, all of Taffity, richly gilt and painted;
the Cloth of State had a Majefty-Efcutcheon fixed
at the Head ; and upon the Velvet Hangings on each
Side of the Effigies, was a Majefty-Efcutcheon ; and
the whole Room fully, and compleatly, furnifhed
with Taffity-Efcutcheoos ; feveral of his Highnefs's
Gentlemen attending bare-headed round about the ^
Bed of State in Mourning; and fome of his inferior
Servants waiting in the other Room*, to give Direc-
tions to the Spectators,, and to prevent Diforders.
4 The Effigies ftood upon an Afcent, under a Of his landing
rich Cloth of State, vefted with Royal Robes; ain State Aere»
Scepter in one Hand, a Globe in the other, and a
Crown on the Head ; a little diftant beneath lay his
Armour, and round about were fixed the Banners,
Ban-Rolls, and Standards, with other Enfigns of
Honour ; and the whole Room being fpacious, was
adorned in a Princely Manner. *
VOL. XXI Q <The
a In a little Piece, intituled, J true Portraiture of bit ROYAL
HIGHNESS Oliver, late Lcrd Prcteftor, in bis Life and Death, ivltb
a Jbort yitvo of bi*G*9trnwent, there is, by way of Frcntifpiece,
very neatly engraved, an exa& Repiefentauon of Cnir.wc.Ts Effigies,
as above vlefcribed.
Mr. Ludiow, whcXe Refentmeat againft Croxnuttt, after Jiis be.
H»g nude Protedw, was equal to that of tke »oft injured Cavalier,
give*
2 " 2 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-remum. The 2^d of November^ being the Day ap-
poinr- ' for rhe \\,}> nn Funeral of the moft ferene
November and ren<owned Oliver Lord Protector, and all Things
being ready prepared, the Effigies of his Hi. hnefs,
{landing under ;\ rich Cloth of State, was remov'd,
and plated on a Heife, richly <idon:ed and fet forth
with Efcutcheons and other Ornaments, the Effi-
gies itielf being vefted with Royal Robes, a Scepter
in one Hand, a Globe in the other, and a Crown
on the Head. After it had been a while thus
placed in the Middle of the Room ; when the Time
came that it was to be removed into the Carriage,
it was carried on the Herfe by ten of his Highnefs's
Gentlemen into the Court, where a Canopy of
State, very rich, was borne nver it, by fix other of
his Highnefs's Gentlemen, till it was brought and
placed in an open Chariot ; at evich End whereof
was a Seat, wherein fat two of the Gentlemen of his
Highnefs's Bed-Chamber, the one at the Head, the
other at the Feet of the Effigies. The Pall, being
rhade of Velvet and fine Linen, was very large, ex-
tending on each Side of the Chariot, to be borne
by Perfons of Honour, appointed for that Purpofe ;
the Chariot itielf was adorned with Plumes and
Efcutcheons, drawn by fix Horfes, covered with
black
gives the following farcaitical Account of this Piece of Pageantry :
' The Council having refolved that the Funeral of the late Ufurper
Ihould be very magnificent, the Care of it was referred to a Commit-
tee of them, who fending for Mr. Kir.nerjly, Matter «f the Wardrobe,
defired him to find out fome Precedent by which they might govern
themfelves in this important Affair. After Examination of his Books
and Papers, Mr. Kinnerjly, who was fufpefted to be inclined to
Popery, recommended to them the Solemnities ufed upon the like
Occafion far Philip the Second, King of Sfnin, who had been iepre»
fented to be in Purgatory for about two Months. In the like Man-
jier was the Body of this Great Reformer laid in Sowerfet-Houfe.
The Apartment was hung with Black, the Day-light was excluded,
and no other but that of Wax Tapers to be feen. This Scene of Pur-
gatory continued till the ifi of Ne-vemter, which being the Day pre-
ceding that commonly called All Souls, he was removed into the
great Hall of the .fad Houfe, and reprefented in Effigy.
' Four or five hundred Candles fet in flat fhining Candlefticks wer«
fo placed round, near the Roof of the Hall, that the Light they gave
feemed like the Rays ot the Sun : By all which he was reprefented »
be now in a State ot Glory. This Folly and Profufion, fays our
Aftmcriati/}, fo far provoked the People, that they threw Diit in the
Night on his Efcutcibeen that w«s placed over the great Gate of S.t-
*!r*f«-amt[eS Minv'rs, Vol. li. p. 615,
Of E N G L A N D. 243
black Velvet, each of them like wife adorned with inter- regnum.
Plumes of Feathers. sjS^J
' The Manner of the Proceffion to the Interment
was briefly thus :
' From Somerfet-Houff to Weftminfter^ the Streets And the Solemn
were railed in, and ftrawed with Sand; the So^'6
cloathed in new red Coats with black Buttons, be-
ing placed on each Side of the Streets without the
Rails, and their Enftgns wrapp'd up in Cyprus
Mourning Veils.
« Firft went a Knight Marflial on Horfeback,
with his black Truncheon tipt at both Ends with
Gold, attended by his Deputy, and thirteen Men
on Horfeback, to clear the Way.
' After the Knight Marflial went the poor Men
of Weftminjler^ two and two, in Mourning Gowns
and Hoods.
• Then the Servants to Perfons of all Qualities;
alfo all the Servants of his Highnefs, as well inferior
as fuperior, as well thofe within his Houfhold as
without ; likewife all his Highnefs's Bargemen and
Watermen ; next went the Servants and Officers of
the Lord Mayor of London ; Gentlemen Attend-
ants on public Minifters and Ambafladors ; poor
Knights of Wmdfor'i Secretaries, Clerks, and other
Officers belonging to the Army, the Admiralty, the
Treafury, the Navy, and the Exchequer ; Officers
of the Fleet and Army; Commiffioners of the Ex-
cife, and of the Army ; Committee of the Navy ;
Commiffioners for Approbation of Preachers ; Of-
ficers and Clerks belonging to the Privy-Council ;
Clerks of both Houfes of Parliament; his High-
nefs's Phyficians ; Head Officers of the Army ;
the Aldermen and Chief Officers of London ; Ma-
flers in Chancery ; his Highnefs's learned Council
at Law ; Judges of the Admiralty ; Mailers of Re-
quefts; Judges \K Wales \ Barons of the Exchequer ;
Judges of both Benches ; Lord Mayor of London ;
Perfons allied in Blood to his late Highnefs; the
Members of the Lords Houfe ; Public Minifters
and Ambafladors of foreign States and Princes j the
244 yh* Parliamentary HISTORY
Holland AmbaiTador alone, whofe Train was borne
j6S8- up by four Gentlemen; next to him the Portugal
~x'T""*' Ambaflador alone, whofe Train was held up by four
' Knights of the Order of Ckrtf ; and then the French
Ambafiador alone, whofe Train was held up by four
Perfons of Quality ; the Lords Commiiiioners of the
Great Seal; the Lords Commi.Tioners of the Trea-
fury; and the Lords of his Highnefs's Privy-Council.
' A great Part of the nobler Sort were in clofe
Mourning, the reft in ordinary. They were divers
Hours in pafling ; and, in their railage, difpofed in-
to fever.al Divifions, each Dividon being diftiiigu idl-
ed by Drums and Trumpets, a Standard or Banner*
borne by a Perfon of Honour and his Ailii'tant,
and eleven Led-Horfes, four of which were co-
vered with black Cloth, and feven with Velvet ;
thefe, being pafled in their Order, were followed by
the Chariot with the Effigies ; on each Side of
which were borne the Banner- Rolls, being twelve
in Number, by twelve Perfons of Honour; and
feveral Pieces of his Highnefs's Armour were borne
by Honourable Perfons, Officers of the Army, eight
in Number. After thofe Noble Perfons that fup-
ported the Pall, followed Garter Principal King at
Arms, attended by a Gentleman on each Side bare-
headed ; next him the Chief Mourner, and thofe
Lords and Noble Perfons that were Supporters and
Afiiilunts to him, and bore up his Train ; next fol-
lowed the Horfe of Honour in very rich Trappings,
embroidered upon Crimfon Velvet, and adorned
•with white, red, and yellow Plumes, led in a long
Rein by the Lord Cleypole, Mafter of tbe Horfe ; in
the Clofe followed his Highnefs's Guard of Hal-
bardiers, the Warders of the Tower, and a Troop of
Horfe.
* The whole Ceremony was managed, with very
great State, \.QWejiminJhr, many thousands of People
being Spectators. At the Weft-Gate of the Abbey
Church, the Herfe, with the Effigies thereon, was
taken off the Chariot by thofe ten Gentlemen
who removed it before ; who paffing on to enter
the Church, the Canopy of State was by the fame
Of ENGLAND. 245
Perfons borne over it again ; and, in this magnificent inter-regnum.
Manner, they carried it into King Henry the Se- lf">&-
venth's Chapel, at the Eaft-End of the Abbey, and "
placed it in a ftiperb Structure, raifed there on pur-
pofe to receive it, buili. in the fame Form as one be-
fore had been, on the like Occafion, for King Jawes,
but much more (lately, wh?re it remained, for fome
Time, expofed to public View. b
The Narrative concludes with thefollowingCom-
pliment to Oliver Cromwell : 'This was the lafl
Ceremony of Honour, ar.d lefs could not be per-
formed to the Memrry of him, to whom Pofterity
will pay (when Envy is laid afleep by Time) more
Honour than we are able to exprefs.'
Having thus conducted Oliver Crdmwell to his
Grave, return we now to Richard his Succeflor.
Hitherto was nothing heard of in England, but thcfl/V£W Cre
Voice of Jov and larze Encomiums on their New So- ™u calls a Par-
11 -J i j j i • r i> r o -i liament.
veicign, Ritoara; and this promifmg rrofpecl might
probably have continued much longer than it did, had
not the Neceflities of the State required the Calling
of a Parliament : For it is to be remembred. That
the late Alliance made by Oliver with the Crown
of Sweden, and of which he was fonder than of all
the reft of his Engagements, obliged him, in the
Spring, to ferrd a ftrong Fleet into the Sound, to
nflift that King againft Denmark ; or at leaft, by
way of Mediator, to induce the latter to accept of
fuch Conditions as the other fhould be willingr to
propofe. And this could hardly be done without
the Afliftance of Parliament ; the New Protedtor,
therefore, by the Advice of his Council, iflued out
Writs, about the Middle of December, to call a Par-
liament to meet on the twenty- feventh of January ;
till which Day, for near five Months, Richard re-
mained as great a Prince as ever his Father had
been before him.
We have already obferv'd, to the Honour of O//-
<uer Cromwell, that, in his two lail Parliaments, no
Q.3 Writs
b TheExpence ofCrom-wtirt Funeral is f«id to have been not Icfg
than 60,000 /. King Jama the Firft's coft only about 30,000 /. '
246 ¥%e Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-reenum, Writs for Elections were iflued out to the meaner
l_ ^f— t Boroughs, but only to Capital Towns ; and that,
January. 'n ^'cu thereof, he had increafed the Number of
Knights of Shires, in Proportion to the Afleflrnents
paid by each County to the public Service. This
popular and equitable Scheme had filled the Houfe
of Commons with fo great a Number of indepen-
dent Gentlemen of the beflr Families and Eftates in
the Kingdom., that he had no way to manage
them but by excluding, either by Fraud or Force,
thofe who were the true Friends of the Conftitution.
His Son, Richard, therefore, to avoid fplitting upon
the fame Rock, and not having Courage or Capa-
city fufficient to rule without a Parliament, deter-
mined to call his upon the Old Model. Accord-
ingly, only two Knights of Shires were elected for
each County, and all the petty Boroughs were re-
ftored to their antient Ufages and Returns, under
Pretence of ingratiating himfelf wkh the People ;
but really to make Way for his own Creatures and
Dependents. This will appear by the following
Catalogue of the Members which compofed the
Lower Houfe, the Upper beinsi; all fufficiently at-
tached to the Protector's fntereft by his Father's or
or his own Choice and Election.
A LIST of the KNIGHTS, CITIZENS, BUR-
GESSES, and BARONS of the CINQUE-PORTS,
returned to ferve in the Parliament of the Com-
monwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland,
bolden at Weftminfler, January 27, 1658. c
The Nanws of BEDFORDSHIRE. Col. John Okey.
theSe^ MaJ°r Richard Wagftaffe.
Commons, cleft- Bedford T. Samuel Brown, Serjeant at Law.
ed to ferve there- Thomas Margets, Efq; Judge -
Advocate of the Army.
BERKSHIRE. Capt. John Dunch, of Eaft Wit-
tenham.
Sir Robert Pye, Knt.
New-
c This Lift is taken from the Diaries of the Times, compared
with Dr. Willis's Nttitia Parliamentaria, and correfted by t>c
Journals of the Houfe of Commons.
Of ENGLAND. 247
New-Windfor B. George Starkey, Efq;
Chiiitopher Whichcote, Efq;
Reading B. Henry Nevile, Efq;
Daniel Blagrave, Efq;
jy«llingfwd B. William Cook, Efq;
Walter Bigg, Efq;
Abingdon B. Sir John Lenthall, Knt. and Bart.
BUCKINGHAM- Francis Drake, of Amerfham, Efq;
SHIRE. Richard Grenville, Efq;
Buckingham T. Col. Francis Ingoldfby.
Sir Richard Temple, Bart.
IPicombe B. Thomas Scot, of Lambeth-Houfe, Efq;
Major-General Tobias Bridge, made his
Eledtion for Newcaftle under Line.
Aylejbury B. Sir James Whitelocke, Knt.
Thomas Terrill, Efq;
Amerjham B. Francis Drake, Efq-, made his Election for
the County of Buckingham. In his Place,
William Bowyer, Efq;
Col. John Bifcoe.
JVtndwer B. William Hampden, Efq;
John Baldwin, Efq;
Mar low B. Peregrine Hobby, Efq;
William Borlace, Efq;
CAMBRIDGE- Sir Thomas Willis, Bart.
.SHIRE. Sir Henry Pickering, Knt.
Cambridge Univ. Rt. Hon. John Thurloe, Principal Secretary
of State, and Poft-Maftcr of England.
Thomas Slater, M. D.
Cambridge T. John Lowrye Efq;
Richard Timbs, Efq; Alderman.
JPiJbecb. Rt. Hon. John Thurloe, Efq; made his
Election for the Univerfity of Cambridge.
CHESHIRE. John Bradfhaw, Serjeant at Law, Chief Ju<
ftice of Chefter, and Chancellor of the.
Duchy of Lancafter.
Richard Legh, of Lyme, Efq;
Chffter C, Jonathan Ridge, Efq; Alderman.
John Griffith, Efq; Alderman.
CORNWALL. Hugh Bofcawen, of Tregothan, Efq;
Francis Buller, jun. Efqj
Duncbevit
248 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Dunchevit, alias Thomas Gewen, of Bradridge,
Launcejlon B. Robert Bennet, Efq;
Lejkard B. Thomas Noell, Efq;
Hunt Greenwood, Efq;
Lcftvritbiel'B. Walter Moyle, of St. Germains, Efq;
John Clayton, of the Jnner Temple, Efq;
¥ruro B. Charles Bofcawen, Efq;
Walter Vincent, Efq;
Bodmyn B. John Ceely, of St. Wen, Efq;
William Turner, LL. D.
Helfton B. Robert Roufe, of Wooton, Efq;
Thomas Juxon, Efq;
Saltajb B. John Buller, of the Middle Temple, Efq;
made his Election for Ea/lhw.
Edmund Prideaux, of Padftow, Efq;.
Camelfordl&, John Maynard, Serjeant at Law, made his
Election for Newton, in the Ifle of Wight*
Capt. William Bradden.
Portplgbam^ alias William Whitelocke, of the Middle Tem-
Wejllow B. pie, Efq;
William Petty, of London, M. D.
Grampound B. Thomas Herle, Efq;
Robert Scawen, Efq;
EaftLow B. John Buller, of the Middle Temple, Efq;
John Kendall, Efq;
Penryn B. John Fox, Efq; Recorder of this Borough.
Thomas Ceeley, of Trevimam, Efq;
Tregony B. John Thomas, Efq;
Edward Bofcawen, Merchant.
J&JJiney B. Anthony Nicholl, of Penrofe, Efq; deceafed.
In his Place,
Thomas Povey, Efq;
Samuel Trelawney, of Ham, in Devonfhire,
Efq;
St. Ives B. John St. Awbyne, of Clowance, Efq;
Peter Ceeley, Efq;
Fowey B. Edward Herle, of Prideaux, Efq;
John Barton, of the Middle Temple, Efq;
St. Germains B. John Glanville, Serjeant at Law.
John St. Awbyne, of Clowance, Efq; made
his Election for St, Ives,
MM
Of E N G L A N D. . 249
Miclcl B. James Launce, of Pennare, Efq~,
Richard Lobb, Efq;
Newport B. William Morrice, of Werrington, in Devon-
(hire, Efq;
Sir John Glanville, Knt.
St. Afaiues B. John Lampen, jun. Efq;
William Tredenham, Efq;
Kcllington B. James Carew, of the Inner Temple, Efq;
Anthony Duller, of Shillingham, Eftjj
CUMBERLAND. Sir Wilfrid Lawfon, Knt.
Col. William Brifcoe.
Carlijle C. Col. George Downing.
Thomas Craifter, Efq;
Cockermoutb B. John Stapleton, Efq;
Wilfrid Lawfon, Efq;
DERBYSHIRE. John Cell, Efq;
Thomas Sanders, Efq;
Derby T. Gervafe Bcnnet, Efq; Alderman.
John Dalton, Efq; Alderman.
DEVONSHIRE- Sir John Northcote, Bart.
Robert Rolle, of Heanton, Efq;
Exeter C. Thomas Bampfield, Recorder of this City 5
the Third SPEAKER of this Parliament.
Major Thomas Gibbon.
Honyton B. Walter Young, of Eitcot, Efq;
Samuel Searle, Efq;
Totnefs B. Capt. John Pleydell.
Gilbert Evelyn, Efq;
jijhburton B. Thomas Rcynell, Efq;
John Fowell, Efq;
Plymouth B. Chrtftopher Ceely, Merchant.
Timothy Alfop, Merchant.
Okekampton B. Robert Everland, Efq;
Edward Wife, Efq;
Earnftaple B. Sir John Copleftone, Knt.
George Walters, Efq;
Plympton B. Capt."Henry Hatfell.
Chriftopher Martin, Efq;
Taviftokt B. Edmund Fowell, Efq;
Capt. Henry Hatfell, made his Efe&ion for
Plympton.
Clifltn,
250
Clifton, Dart-
mouth^ Hard-
ntfs B.
Beralftoni B.
The Parliamentary HISTORY
\
Thomas Boon, of Mount Boon, Efq;
Col. John Clark, of Weftminfter.
John Maynard, Serjeant at Law, made his
Election for Newton in the Ifle of Wight.
Elizeus Crynes, Eiq;
Tiverton B. Sir Copleftone Bampfield, of Poltemore, Bart.
Francis Warner, Alderman of London*
DORSETSHIRE. Sir Walter Erie, Knt.
Col. John Bingham, Governor of Guernfey.
Poqle T. Sir Anthony Afhley Cooper, Bart, made his
Election for the County of Wilts.
Samuel Bond, Efq;
Dorcbefter B. James Gould, Efq; /
John Bulftrode, Alderman.
Lyme-Regis B. Sir Edmund Prideaux, Bart. Attorney- Gene-
ral to his Highnefs.
Henry Henley, Efq;
Weymoutb B. John Trenchard, Efq;
Col. Walden Lagoe.
Melcomb-Regis B. Col. John Clark.
Peter Middleton, Merchant.
jBridport B. Edward Cheek, of Gabriels, Efq;
John Lee, Efq;
Sbaftflury B, Henry Whitaker, Efqj
James Baker, Efq;
Wareham B. Elias Bond, LL. D.
James Dewey, Efq;
Cerfe-Caflle B. Ralph Banks, Efq;
John Tregojiwell, Efq;
ESSEX. Hon. Charles Rich, Brother to the Earl of
Warwick.
Edward Turner, of Gray's Inn, Efq;
Colchejler B. John Shaw, of this Borough, Efq
Abraham Johnfon, of London, Merchant.
Maiden B. Col. Henry Mildmay, of Grays.
Joachim Matthews, Recorder.
Harwich B. John Sicklemore, Efq;
Thomas Kiog, Efq;
GLOUCESTER- John Grubham Howe, Efqj
SHIRE. John Stephens, JLfqj
Ghtt-
Of ENGLAND.
251
Glcucefter C. James Stephens, Efq; Alderman.
Laurence Singleton, Efq; Alderman.
Cirencefter B. John Stone, of Weftminfter, Efq;
Richard Southby, Efq;
Teivkefiury B. Edward Cook, Efq;
Robert Long, of Draycot, Efq;
HEREFORDSHIRE. Col. Wroth Rogers.
Bonnet Hofkins, Efq;
HtrefordC. Nathan Rogers, Efqj
Roger Bofworth, M. D.
Leominjltr. Col. John Birch.
Edward Freeman, Efq;
Weolly B. Herbert Perrot, Efq;
Robert Andrews, Efq;
HERTFORD- Rowland Litton, of Knebworth, Efq;
SHIRE. Richard Gulfton, of Widdiall, Efq;
S/. Allans B. Richard Jenyns, Efq;
Col. Alban Cox,
Hertford T. Ifaac Puller, Efq;
Major-General William Packer, not duly
elected. In his Place,
James Cooper, Efq;
HUNTINGDON- Col. Henry Cromwell, of Ramfey.
SHIRE. Nicholas Peclley, Efq;
Huntingdon T. Rt. Hon. John Thurloe, Efq; Principal Secre-
tary of State, made his Election for the
Univerfity of Cambridge.
John Barnard, of Brampton, Efq;
KENT. William James, Efq;
Sir Thomas Style, Bart.
Canterbury C. Thomas St. Nicholas, Efq;
Col. Robert Gibbon.
Rocht/ter C. Richard Hutchinfon, Efq; Treafurer of the
Navy.
Peter Pett, Efq; Commiflioncr of the Navy.
Maidflone B. Andrew Broughton, Efq;
John Banks, Efq;
£>uecnborougk B. Hon. James Herbert, Brother to the Earl of
Pembroke.
Thomas Baylcs, Efq;
LANCASHIRE. Sir George Booth, Bart.
Alexander Rigby, Efqj
Lancafler
252 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Lancajler T, Col. William Weft.
Henry Porter, jun. Efq;
Prefton B. Col. Richard Shut tie worth.
Col. Richard Standifh, of J3uckfbury,
Wigan B. Hugh Forth, of' London, Merchant.
Robert Markland, Efq;
Col. Gilbert Ireland.
Alderman Blackmore.
Newton B. William Brereton, Efq;
Peter Legh, of Lyme, Efq;
LEICESTER- Sir Thomas Beaumont, of Stoughtpn-
SHIRE. Grainge, Bart.
Col. Francis Hacker, ofQakham.
Leicefter T. Sir Arthur Hafilrigge, of Nofeley, Bart.
William Stanley, Efq; Alderman.
LINCOLNSHIRE. Edward Rcffiter, of Somerby, Efq;
Thomas Hatcher, of Carleton, Efq;
JLincoln C. Robert Marfiial, Alderman.
Thomas Meres, Efq;
J&ofton T. Sir Anthony Irby, Knt.
Francis Muflenden, Efq;
Great Grlmjby B. William Wray, Efq;
Edward Afcough, Efq;
Stamford B. Chriftopher Clapham, Efqj
John Weaver, Efq;
Grantham B. Sir William Ellis, Bart, his Highnefs's Soli-
citor-General.
Thomas Skipwith, of this Borough, Efq;
MIDDLESEX. Chaloner Chute, Efq; the Firft SPEAKER, of
this Parliament.
Francis Gerrard, Efq;
Weftmin/ler C. Richard Sherwyn, Efq;
Edward Grofvenor, Efq;
London C. William Thompfon, Efq; Alderman.
Theophilus Biddulph, Efq;
Capt. John Jones.
Major-General. Richard Browne, Alderman*
MOJCMOUTIJ- William Morgan, of Mahurne, Efq;
SHIRE. Col. John Nicholas, of Llanmellan, Efqj
Monmwth T. Nath. Waterhoufe, Efq;
NORFOLK. Sir Horatio Townfhend, Bart-,
Sir Wiiliam D'Oyly, Km.
Nor"
Of ENGLAND.
Norwich C. William Barnham, Efq;
John Hobart, Efq;
Lynn-Regis T. Thomas Toll, Alderman.
Capt. Griffith Lloyd.
Yarmouth T. Charles George Cook, Efqs
William Burton, Efq;
ThttfordB. William Stene, M. D.
Robert Steward, Efq;
GflJik-Rifmg B. John Fielder, Efq;
Guybon Goddard, of King's- Lynn, Efq; Re-
corder of this Borough.
NORTHAMPTON- Richard Knightley, of Fawefley, Efq;
SHIRE. Philip Holman, Efq;
Peterborough C. Francis St. John, Efq;
Col. Alexander Beake.
Northampton T. Francis Hervey, of Wefton-Favel, Elq;
James Langham, of Cottefbrook, Efq;
Brackley B. Thomas Crew, of Stene, Efq;
William Lifle, of the Middle-Temple, Efq;
JHigham-FfrrersB.Jzmts Nutley, Efq;
NORTHUMBER- William Fenwick, of Wellington, Efq;
LAND. Ralph Delavall, Efq;
Newcaftle upon Mark Shaftoe, of this Town, Efq;
Tyne T. Thomas Lilburn, Efq;
Morpeth B. Robert Delavall, Efq;
Robert Mitford, Efq;
Berwick upon John Rufti worth, of Lincoln's-Inn, Efq;
Tweed T. George Payler, Efq; one of the Commiffion-
ers of the Navy.
NOTTINGHAM- Edward Nevil, Efq;
SHIRE. Thomas Briftow,
Nottingham T. John Whaley, Efq;
John Parker, Efq; Alderman.
Eaft Retford B. Clifford Clifton, Efq;
William Cartwight, Efq;
OXFORDSHIRE. Henry Carey, Vifcount Fauikiand, in Scot-
land.
Robert Jenkinfon, Efq;
Oxford Univerfoy. Matthew Hale, Serjeant at Lavr.
John Mills, LL.D.
Oxford C. Richard Croke, Efq; Recorder.
Major Unton Croke.
254 *&& Parliamentary HISTORY
WGodftoc'k B. Sir Jerome Sankey, Knt.
Miles Fleetwood, Efq;
'Banlury B. Nathaniel Fiennes, jun. Efq; Son of the Lord
Comtniifioner Fiennes.
RUTLANDSHIRE. William Shield, Efq;
Edward Horfeman, Efq;
SHROPSHIRE. Thomas Mackworth, of Betton, Efq;
Philip Young, of Keintcn, Efq;
Shrew/bury T. Wiiliam Jones, Efq; Recorder.
Humphrey Mackworth, Efq; Town-Clerk.
Bridgenortb B. Edmund Warynge, Efq;
John Humphrys, Efq;
Ludlow B. Job Charlton, of Lincolns Inn, Efq;
Samuel Baldwin, of the Inner Temple, Efqj
Great Wenlock B. Thomas Whitmore, of Luditon, Efq;
Sir Francis Lawley, Knt.
BlJbops-Caftle T. Samuel More, Efq;
Will:: -.-: Oakeley, Efq;
SOMERSETSHIRE. John Buckland, Efq;
Robert Hunt, of Compton Paunce/oot, Efqj
friflol C. Robert Aldvvorth, Efq;
Jofeph Jackfon, Efq;
fatly C. James A(h, Efq; Recorder of the City.
John Harrington, Efq;
Welh C. Sir Lifkbone Long, K:. Recorder of London ;
the Second SPEAKER of this Parliament.
Thomas White, Efq;
^aunton B. Sir William Wyndham, Bart.
Col. Thomas Gorges.
Bridgeruater B. Sir Thomas Wroth, Knt,
John Wroth, Efq;
Mynnead B. C.;l. Alexander Popham, of Honiflreet.
Richard Hutchinfon, Eiq; made his Elec-
tion for Rocbe/ier.
Hche/ter B. Richard Jones, Efq;
John Barker, Efq>
Milborn^Port B. William Carent, Efq;
R.obert Hmt, of Compton -Pauncefoot, Efq;
made his Election for the County of So-
merjet.
SouTHAMPTONr Richard Norton, of Southwick, Efq;
SHIRE. Robert Wallop, of Fair- Wallop, J£fq;
255
Of E N G L A N D.
Winchefler C. John Hilddly, of Hinton, Efq;
Nicholas Love, ot Wolvefey in the Soake, Efq;
Southampton T. Thomas Knollys, Efq;
Roger Gallop, Efq;
Portfmoutb T. Francis Willoughby, Efq;
John Child, Efq;
Yarmouth B. John Sadler, Efq;
Richard Lucy, Efq; made his Election for
the County of Warwick.
Petcnfifld B. Sir Henry Norton, Bart.
Jofiah Child, Efq;
Newport B. Thomas Boreman, of Broke, Efq;
Robert Dillington, of Motesfont, Efq;
Stockbridgc B. Francis Rivet, of King's Somborne, Efq;
Richard Whitehead, jun. Efq;
Newton B. William Laurence, Efq;
John Maynard, Serjeant at Law.
Chrifl-Churcb B. John Bulkeley, of Over-Burgate, Efq;
Henry Tulfe, of Hinton, Efq;
Wbitchurcb B. Sir Henry Vane, Knt.
Robert Reynolds, Efq;
Lymington B. John Button, jun. Efq;
Richard Whitehead, jun. Efq;
Andover B. Col. Gabriel Beck.
Robert Gough, of Dean, Efq;
STAFFORDSHIRE. Sir Thomas Whitgrave, Knt.
Col. Thomas Crompton.
Litchfald C. Capt. Daniel Watfon.
Thomas Mynors, Efq;
Stafford T. Martin Noell, of London, Scrivener.
William Jeflbp, Efq; Clerk of the Council.
Newcajlle under Major General Tobias Bridge
Line. Edward Keeling, Efqj
Tarn-worth. John Swinfen, Efq; ,
Capt. Thomas Fox.
SUFFOLK. Sir Henry Felton, of Playford, Bart.
Sir Thomas Barnardifton, of Keddington,
Knt.
.Ipfwicb T. Nath. Bacon, Efq; 1 Matters of the Re-
Francis Bacon, Efq; } quefts to his Highnefs.
f)unwich B. Robert Brewfter, of Wrentham, Efq;
John Barrington, of Weftrainitcr, Kfq;
frford
256 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Qrford B. Thomas Edgar, Efq;
Jeremy Copping, Efq;
Aldborough B. Laurence Oxburgh, Efq;
John Bence, Merchant.
Sudbury B. Samuel Haflel, Efq;
Col. John Fothergiil.
St.Edmond/bury'B.Col. John Clarke.
£yeB.
SURREY.
South-work B.
Bhchingley B.
B.
Guildford B.
Gattsn B.
Hafelmere B.
SUSSEX.
Chicbejier C.
Horjham B.
Midhurft B.
Lewes B.
Sborebam B.
Bramber B.
Thomas Chaplin, Efq;
Edward Dendy, Efq;
Jofeph Blifiet, Efq;
Arthur Onflow, Efq;
Francis Drake, Efq;
George Thompfon, Efq;
Andrew Brewer, Efq;
John Goodwin, Efq;
Edmund Hofkins, Efq;
John Hek Efq; 7 f fe ^ h
Edward Thurland; Efq; }
Carew Raleigh, Efq;
Robert Parkhurft, Efq;
Thomas Sturges, Efq;
Edward Biihe, Efq;
John Hooke, of Bramfhot, Southampton-
fliire, Efq; not duly elected. In his Place,
John Weftbrook, Efq;
Henry Fitz- James, of Weftminfter, Efq;
Col. Herbert Morley, of Glyne.
John Fagge, of Wifton, Efq;
Henry Pelham, Efq; Recorder.
William Cawley, jun. Efq;
\Villiam Freeman, Efq;
Henry Chowne, Efq;
William Yalden, jun. Efq;
Benjamin Wefton, Efq;
Col. Herbert Morley, made his Election for
the County of Suffix.
Richard Boughton, Efq;
Edward Blake, Efq;
John Whaley, Efq; made his Election for
Nottingham.
John Fagge. of Wifton, Efq; made his Elec-
tion for the County of Suffex.
Jokn Byne, of Washington, £fq;
Steyn-
Of ENGLAND.
Sleynlng B. Sir John Trevor, Knt.
Anthony Shirley, of Prcfton, Efqj
Ea/l-GrinJIead B. Sir Robert Goodwin, Knt.
George Courthorpe, of Tyfehurft, Ef(j;
Arundel B. Henry Onflow, of Slinfojd, £f<ij
Richard Marriot, Efq;
WARWICK- Richard Lucy, Efq;
SHIRE. Col Jof. Hawkefworth.
Coventry C. Major Robert Beakc.
Col. William Purefoy.
Warwick B. Foulk Lucy, Efq;
Thomas Archer, Efq;
WESTMORE- Thomas Burton, Efq;
LAND. Thomas Wharton, Efq;
Jppleby T. Adam Baines, Efq;
Nathaniel Redding, Efq;
WILTSHIRE. Sir Walter St. John, Bart.
Sir Anthony Afliley Cooper, of Wimborne
St. Giles, Bart.
New SarumC. Henry Eyre, Efq; Recarder.
Humphrey Ditton, Efq; Alderman.
Wilton B. Hon. John Herbert, Brother to the Earl of
Pembroke.
Richard Grubham Howe, Efq;
Dounton B. Thomas Fitz-James, of Hurflcy, Southamp-
tonfhire, Efq;
William Coles, of Woodfalls, Efq;
Hindon B. Major General Edmund Ludlow.
Edward Tooker, of New Sarum, Efq;
Heijlbury B. John Afhe, Efq;
Samuel Afhe, Efq;
Wejlbury B. Robert Villiers, alias Danvers, of Baffetbury,
Bucks, Efq;
William Eyre, of Wefton Ef<j;
Calne B. Edward Baynton, Efq;
William Ducket, Efq;
Devizes B. Chaloner Chute, jun. Efq;
Capt- Edward Scotton.
Chippeaham B. Sir Edward Hungerford, of Farleigh-Caftle,
Somerretmire, Knight of the Bath.
James Stedman, of LincolnVInn, Efq;
VOL. XXI. R Malmf-
Malmfbury B.
Cricklade B.
Bedivin B.
Ludgerjhallfy.
OldSarum
Wwton-BaJJet B.
Marlborougb B,
WORCESTER-
SHIRE.
Worcejler C.
Droitwicb B.
Evejbam B.
Eewdley B.
YORKSHIRE.
York C.
King/Ion upon
Hull T.
KnareJbrougb'St.
S(arbrougb B.
Richmond B.
The Parliamentary HISTORY
Sir Henry Lees of Ditchley, in Oxfordfhire,
Bart.
Thomas Eliggons, of Grewel, Southamptori"-
fhire, Efq;
Edward Pool, of Kcmbill, Efq;
John Hawkins, of Afhton-Keynes, Efq;
Henry Hungerford, Efq;
Thomas Manley, Efq;
James Davy, of the Middle-Temple, Efq;
Richaru Sherwyn, Efq;
Richard Hill, of Stratford, Efq;
Major William Ludlow, of Clarendon-Park.
Hen. St. John, of Lydiard Tregoze, Efq;
Robert Stevens, of the Middle-Temple, Efq;
Recorder of this Borough.
Thomas Grove, of Bury-Court, Efq;
James Hayes, Efq; Recorder.
Nicholas Lechmere, Efq; Attorney of the
Duchy of Lancafter.
Thomas Foley, Efq;
William Collins, Efq;
Thomas Streete, Efq;
John Wylde, Efq; late Lord Chief Baron of
the Public Exchequer.
Edward Salway, of Stanford, Efq;
Theophilus Andrews, Efq; Alderman.
Robert Atkins, Efq; Recorder.
Edward Pytts, of Kier-Park, Efq;
Thomas Lord Fairfax, Baron of Cameron,
in Scotland.
Thomas Harrifon, Efq;
Sir Thomas Dickenfon, Knt. Alderman.
Chriftopher Topham, Efq;
John Ramfden, Efq;
Andrew Marvel, Efq;
SHngfby Bethel, Efq;
Robert Walters, Efq;
Thomas Chaloner, Efq;
Edward Salmon, of Havering, in Eflex, Efq;
Sir Chrifcopher Wyvil, Bart.
John Bathurft, M. D.
Jieydon
Of E N G L A N D. 259
Heydon 6. Thomas Strickland, Efq; made his Eledion
for B ever ley.
Matthew Allured, Efq;
BcrougUridge B. Robert Stapylton, of My ton, Efq;
Laurence Parfons, Elq;
MaltonK. Philip Howard, Efq; ' •)
George Marwood, Efq; ( Double
Luke Robinfon, of Pickering, Efq; \ Return b
Major-General Robert Lilburn. J
Ripon B. Edward Jennings, Efq;
Jonathan Jennings, Efq;
Thirjk B. Col. Thomas Talbot.
Major-General Goodrick, of Ribftan.
Aldborough B. John Lord Lambert, made his Election for
Pontefraft.
Francis Goodrick, Efq;
Allerton B. Major George Smithfon, of Stanwick.
James Danby, of Swinton, Efq;
Severity B. Thomas Strickland, Efq;
John Anlaby, of Etton, Efq;
Pontefraft B. John Lord Lambert.
John Hewley, Efq;
CINQUE PORTS.
Ha/lings Samuel Gott, Efq;
Nicholas Delves, Efq;
• Romney. Sir Robert Honey wood, Knt.
Lambert Godfrey, Efq;
Hythe. Sir Robert Hales, Knt. and Bar;.
William Kenrick, Efq;
Dover. Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Kelfey.
John Dixwell, Efq;
Sandwich. Richard Meredith, Efq;
James Thurbarnc, Efq;
R 2
Wn-
b The Queftion before the Hotifc was this : Wher.'icr Ken Ma'.ten alone, or Old
Malton and New Malton together, ought to eleft Burgefles. When a Record of
26 Edward I, and an Order of the Houle of D'-cnnber n, 1640, and divers other
Records and Evidences being examined, it was refolved that Old Malton had a joint
Right with Ntto Malton to eledt and fend Members to Parliamcat for Jdahon ; and
confequcntly Mr. Howard and Mr. Marivwd were duly eledlti), Col. Lilburn and
Mr. Rsbinfon being chofen by New Malttn only.
Commim Journalt, Mta^cbj, 1658.
260 TT^e Parliamentary HISTORY
Winchelfea. John Bufbridge, Efq;
Robert Fowle, Efq;
Rye. William Hay, of Glynbourn, Efq;
Mark Thomas, Efq;
Seaford* Nicholas Meredith, Efq;
James Thurbarne, Efq;
WALES.
ANGLESEY. Col. George Twifleton.
Beaumauris B. Griffith Bodville, Efq;
BRECON. Edmund Jones, Efq; his Highnefs's Attorney-
General for South-Wales.
JBrecon T. Samuel WJghtwick, Efq;
CARDIGAN. Col. James Philips.
Cardigan T. Col. Roland Dawkin?.
CARMARTHEN. Thomas Hughes, Efq;
Carmarthen T. David Morgan, Efq;
CARNARVON. William Glynn, Efq;
Carnarvon T. Robert Williams, of Conway, Efq;
DENBIGH. Sir John Carter, of Kinmell.
Denbigh T. John Manley, of Brynchurne, Efq;
FLINT. John Trevor, Efq;
GLAMORGAN. Evan Seys, of Boverton, Serjeant at Law.
Cardiff" T. John Price, of Newtown, Efq;
Swanzey. William Foxwift, Efq;
MERIONETH. Lewis Owen, Efq;
MONTGOMERY. Edward Vaughan, of Lloydiarth, Efq;
Montgomery T. Charles Lloyd, of Garth, Efq;
PEMBROKE. Sir E.rafmus Philips, of Pi&on-Caftle, Bart.
Pembroke T. Sampfon Lort, Efq;
Arthur Owen, of Newmoate, Efq;
Haverford-WeJl. John Upton, Efq;
RADNOR. Henry Williams, Efq;
Radnor T. Robert Weaver, Efq;
SCOTLAND.
SHIRES.
Aberdeen^ Archibald Marquis of Argyle.
Fife and Kinrofe, Sir Alexander Gibfon, Knt.
Perth, Sir Edward Rhodes, one of his Highnefs's Council in
Scotland,
In*
Of E N G L A N D. 261
Inverness, Col. Thomas Fitch.
Linlithgaw, SLirliug^ ami Clackmannan , Col. Adrian Scropc, one
of his Highnefs's Council.
Dumbarton, Argyle, and Bute, William Stene, M. D. made
his Election for Thetford, in Norfolk.
Lanerk, Col. George Lockhart, his Highnefs's Advocate.
Mid-Lothian, Samuel Difbrowe, Efq; Chancellor and Keeper
of the Great Seal of Scotland.
Selkirk and Peebles, Archibald Murray, Efq;
Merce, John Swinton, of Swinton, Eiq; one of his Highnefs's
Council.
Roxborougb, Sir Andrew Ker, Knt.
Wigton, Sir James MacDowel, of Garthland, Knt.
Ea/l-Lothian, John Earl of Tweedale.
CITIES and BOROUGHS.
Edinburgh, John Thompfon, Efq; Auditor-General of the Re-
venues of Scotland.
Bamjf, Cullen, and Aberdeen, Dr. Thomas Clarges, of Weft-
min/icr.
Linlitbgow, £>iieen>s Ferry, Perth, Culrofs, and Stirling, Tho-
mas Waller, of Grey's -Inn, Efq;
St. dndrews, Dyfart, Kirkaldy, Coupar, Anftrutker-EaJler, &c.
Col. Nathaniel Whetham, one of his Highnefs's
Council.
Laneri, Glafgow, Rutberglen, Rotbfay, Renfrew, Aire, Irvin,
and Dumbarton, Capt. John Lockhart.
Dumfries, Sanquhar, Lcchmaben, Annan, Wigton, Kirkcudbright,
Whitehorn, and Galloway, Major Jeremy Tolhurft,
Burgefs of Dumfries.
Peebles, Selkirk, "Jedburgh, Louder, North-Berwick, Dunbar,
and Haddington, Dr. Thomas Clarges, of Wejlminjler*
Forfar, Dundee, Aberbrothock, Montrefe, and Brechin, Laurence
Oxburgh, Efq;
IRELAND.
COUNTIES.
Dublin, Sir Theophilus Jones, Knt. Major of Horfc^
Meath and Loiuth, Major Anthony Morgan.
Major William Afhton,
R 3 Kit-
2-62 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Kildair and Wicklow, Dudley Loftus, LL. D.
Col. Henry Markham.
Catberlough, Wexford, Kilkenny, and Queen's County, Major
Daniel Redman.
Lieutenant- Colonel John Brett.
WeJl-Meatb, Longford, and King's County, Francis Lord Aungier,
Sir Henry Peirce.
Downe, Antrim, and Armagh, Sir John Skeffington.
Major George Rawden.
Deny, Donegal, and Tyrone, Col. John Gorges.
Major Alexander Staples.
Cavan, Fermannagh, and Monoghan, Col. Thomas Coote.
Kerry, Limerick, and Clare, Col. Sir Henry Ingoldfby, Bart.
Sir Hardrefs Waller,. Knt.
Cork, Sir Maurice Fenton.
lipperary and IVaterford, Sir Jerome Sankey, Knt. made his
Election for Woodjhck, Oxfordfmre.
Thomas Stanley, Efq;
Sl'igo, Rofcommon, and Letrim, Robert Parke, Efq;
Thomas Waller, Efq;
Galway and Mayo, Sir Charles Coote, Bart. Lord Prefident of
Connaugbt.
Col Thomas Sadler, Governor of Galway.
CITIES and TOWNS.
Dublin, Arthur Annefley Efq;
Carickfergus and Belfaft, Lieutenant -Colonel John Duckenfield,
Derry and Colerane, Ralph King, of Londonderry, Efq;
Limerick and Kilmallock, Capt. George Ingoldfby.
Cork and Yougbal, Col. Francis Fowke, Governor of Drogheda.
Randon and Kingfale, Vincent Gookyn, Efq; Surveyor-General..
Waterford and Clonmell, Capt. William Halfey.
But, before the Parliament met, a Day of folemn Failing and
Humiliation was appointed by the Lord Protector, to be obferved
throughout the Three Nations, to feek the Lord for his Blefling
upon the Proceedings qf both Houfes, and the other Affairs of
State.
On the 2yth of January, according to Appointment, the
Ke\v Lord Prote&or came to Weftminfter with the fame State
and
Of E N G L A N D. 263
and Solemnity that his Father had done. The inter- r
Commons met in their ufual Place; and the New 1658.
Lords, who had alfo been fummoned by Writ to V*"«"V"*
attend according to the Humble Petition and Ad- January-
vice, to.ok their Places in the Houfe of Lords, not-
withftanding the Commons, in the laft Parliament, The Parliament
had refufed to acknowledge their Lordfhips' Autho-™-^ *?l&**'
rity, which had been one principal Means of their
own hafty Difiblution.
During the late Recefs, the Earls of Warwick^™ "°«fe of
and Mulgrave, who had been fummoned to the laftj *"
Parliament, died ; the other Peers, who had recei-
ved Writs of Summons from Oliver, (the Lords
Eure and Fauconbcrg only -excepted) had paid no
Regard to his Call, and now treated that of his Son
v/ith equal Neglect, as did alfo the Lord Chief
Juitice 6V. John, Sir Gilbert Gerrard, Mr. John
Crew, Mr. Alexander PQpham, and Mr. William
Pierepoint, Sir Arthur Hafilrisge, being elected for
the Town of Leice/ler, continued to fit in the
Houfe of Commons, as he had done in the laft Par-
liament. Some of the New Peers were at their re-
fpeclive Commands at home and abroad, fo that not
above 44 of the whole Houfe ever made their Ap-
pearance at all, and moft of thofe that attended
were either the Protector's near Relations, or his
immediate Dependents : And there are no Records
left us of their Proceedings, except what the Jour-
nals of the Commons fupply.
The firft Thing we find entered in thofe Autho-
rities, is a Commiffion from his Highnefs the Lofd
Protector of the Commonwealth of England^ Scot-
land, and Ireland, &c. under the Broad Seal, and
dated at IVejlminfler, January 26, directed to the
Rt. Hon. John Tburtoe, Efq; Principal Secretary of
State, and many other Perfons, authorizing them
to adminifter the Oath appointed by the Humble
Additional Explanatory Petition and Advice to every
Member, before they took their Seats. After
all the Members that appeared were fworn, and
fcated in the Houfe, Sir Walter Erie rofe up, and
put
264 efbe Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regmwn. put them in Mind that their firft Work was to chufe
1658. a Speaker ; and that there was, amongft them, a
^* *~ -1 worthy Gentleman of the Long Robe, whom he
January. conceived was very fitly qualified for that Service.
He therefore propofed Chaloner Chute, Efq; who
was fully approved of by a general Call to the
Chair.
The Commons ^r* C^ute^ flanding up in his Place, excufed
chufe Chaloner himfelf by reafon of Weaknefs of Body, and great
Chute, E(q; for Indifpofition of Health, which rendered him unable
their Speaker. to djfcharge the Duties incumbent upon the Office
of Speaker ; but efpecially his Inexperience of the
Orders and Proceedings of the Houfe; and this Par-
liament being an AfTembly in which, in all Proba-
bility, fo much would depend, he befought the
Members to think of fome other Perforj, more wor-
thy, and of better Health and Ability, to fupply
that Place : But, being generally called on by the
Houfe, he was, by SirfFeluf Erie and Mr. Charles.
Rich, Brother to the Earl of Warwick^ brought
qnd placed in the Chair ; where being fet, and the
Mace brought in by the Serjeant and laid on the
Table, the Speaker again reprefented to the Houfe
his Inability for that Office ; yet acknowledging, with
great Thankfulnefs, the Regard {hewn him by the
Houfe, he prayed, That as it was their Favour which
call'd him, and their Command only that had brought
him to that Place, if he (hould err therein, through
Inadvertency or want of Experience, as he might
be apt to do, the fame Favour and Affection in
them would pardon fuch Error. After this a Billa
left unfinifhed by the preceding Parliament, was,
according to Cuftom, read ; the Serjeant at Arms
and the Clerks appointed; and then the Houfe ad-
. fourned to the next Day, but the Speaker was not
Not preiented toJ . r> n r L- A i • i •
the Proteftor, as prefented to the Proteaor for his Approbation ; his
ufual. Father, as before obferved, paving never aflumed
that Circumftance of Royalty.
There is no Mention at all in the Journals of any
Speech made to both Houfes by the Protector at this
Time 3,
Of ENGLAND. 265
*Time ; but we are told, by a Member of this Par- Inter- repmai.
liament c, that his Highnefs fent the Ufher of the,
Black Rod to fummon the Commons to attend him VT""V~'**^
in the Other Houfe, for he had fomewhat to fpeak
to them there: That, at this Call, not above 12
or 15 Members went out of the Houfe, though
there were fome more that joined them on the
Way, and appeared before him : And that he
made, beyond Expectation, a very handfome Speech
to them, exceeding that which followed by his
Keeper of the Great Seal. Our Colleflions fupply
us with both thefc Sp.eecb.es, which properly follow
in this Place. d
My Lords and Gentlemen^
' T Believe there are fcarce any of you here, who-The Protestor**
|_ expected, fome Months fince, to have feen this Speech at opea-
gieat Afiembly, at this Time, in this Place, inp
Peace ; confulering the great and unexpected Change
which it hath pleafed the All-difpofing Hand of God
to make iu the midft of us : I can allure you, that
if Things had been according to our own Fears, and
the Hopes of our Enemies, it had not been thus with
us : And therefore it will become both you and me,
in the firft Place, (as to reverence and adore the
great God, Poflefibr of Heaven and Earth, in whofe
Hands our Brqath is, and whofe are all our Ways,
bccaufe of his Judgments) fo to acknowledge him
in his Goodnefo to thefeLand?, in that he hath not
added Sorrow to Sorrow, and made the Period of
his late HighnetVs Life, and that of the Nation's
Peace, to have been in one Day,
« Peace
c Ii\ a Pamphlet, called A tmt and impartial Narrative of the
r:iji material Dtbaus andPaffagti in (be late Parliament, together -with
the Rift and DiJ/olution of it, publifhcd for the SatisfafJion of tbofe
that dtfire to know toio they ffcat their Time. By a Member of that
Parh'amtft, wkit't none of the prefent Parliament. — London, printtd
far Thomas Btevvfler, and are to be fold at bit Shop, at the Sign
of the Three Bibles in Paul'* Cturcb-TarJ, 16150
When this Piece fii it appeared in public, it had not the Name of tlm
Author, but Mr. Bitkcll aftcrwauis owned it, and reprinted it at the
End of a Book, intituled, The Jnterefl of the Prints and States cf
Europe, ice. By Slingfby Bethel), Efy\ 8vo, Landen, 1694.
<1 Fiorn the original Edition, printed by Henry Hill\ and John Firil,
Printers to the Lord Protector. Published by his HighntlVa
266 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Joter-regtmm. ' Peace was one of the Bleffings of my Father's
1658. Government j a Mercy after fo long a Civil War,
v— - y—~~t and in the midft of fo great Divifion which that
January. War bred, is not ufually afforded, by God, unto a
People in fo great a Meafure.
' The Caufe of God, and thefe Nations, which
he was engaged in, met in all the Parts of it, as you
well know, with many Enemies and great Oppofi-
tion ; the Archers, privily and openly, forely grie-
ved him, and fhot at him, yet his Bow abode in
Strength, and the Arms of his Hands were made
ftrong by the Hands of the mighty God of Jacob.
' As to himfelf; he died full of Days, fpent in
great and fore Travail ; yet his Eyes were not wax-
ed dim, neither was his natural Strength abated ; as
it was faid of Mofes* He was ferviceable even to ths
laft.
' As to thefe Nations ; he left them in great Ho-
nour abroad, and in full Peace at home : All Eng-
land^ Scotland, and Ireland dwelling fafely, every
Man under his Vine, and under his Fig-Tree, from
Dan even to Beerjheba.
' He is gone to Reft, and we are entered into his
Labours ; and if the Lord hath ftill a Bleffing for
thefe Lands, (as I truft he hath) as our Peace hath
been lengthened out to this Day, fo fhall we go on
to reap the Fruit, and gather the Harveft of what
his late Highnefs hath fown, and laid the Founda-
tion of.
' For my own Part, being, by the Providence of
God and the Difpofition of the Law, my Father's
Succefibr, and bearing that Place in the Govern-
ment that I do, I thought it for the Public Good to
call a Parliament of the Three Nations, now uni-
ted, and conjoin'd together into one Commonwealth,
under one Government.
* It is agreeable not only to my Truft, but to my
Principles, to govern thefe Nations by the Advice
of my two Houfes of Parliament : I find it aflerted
in the Humble Petition and Advice, (which is the
Corner-ftone of this Building, and that which I fhall
adhere to) That Parliaments art the great Council of
the
Of E N G L A N D. 267
tbe Chief Aliigijl rate y in whofe Advice Loth he and Inter-regnuAi.
theft Nirtions may be mojl faje and happy. I can af-
Jure you I have that EUeem of them ; and as I
have made it the firit Ad of my Government to call
you together, fo I (hall further let you fee the Value
I have of you, by the Anfwers that I fhall return
to the Advice that fhall be given me by you, for the
Good of thefc Nations.
* You are corne up from your fetferal Countries,
as the Heads of your Tribes, and with Hearts (I
perfuadc mylelf) to confuk together for their Good;
I can (ay I meet you with the fame Defires, having
nothing in my Dcfign, but the Maintenance of the
Peace, Laws, Liberties, both Civil and Chriilian,
of thefe Nations-; which I fhall always make the
Meafure and Rule of my Government, and be rea-
dy to fpcnd my Life for.
' We have fummoned you up at this Time to let
you know the State of our Affairs, and to have your
Advice in them : And I believe a Parliament was
never fummoned upon a more important Occafion.
* It is true, as I have told you, we are, thro' the
Goodnefs of God, at this Time in Peace ; but it is
not thus with us- becaufe we have no Enemies : No,
there are enough both within us and without us,
who would foon put an End to our Peace, were it
in their Power, or fhould it at any Time come in-
to their Power.
c It will be becoming your Wifdom to ccmfider
of the fecuring of our Peace againft thofe, who, we
all know, are, and ever will be, our implacable
Enemies ; what the Means of doing this are, I
fhall refer unto you.
* This I can afiure you, That the Armies of
England^ Scotland, and Ireland^ arc true and faith-
ful to the Peace and gqod Intereft of thefe Nations;
and it will be found fo, and that they are a confid-
ent Body, and iifeful for any good Ends; and if
they were not the beft Army in the World, you
would have heard of many Inconveniences, by rca-
icm of the great Arrear of Pay which is now due un-
td
. 268 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
m. to them, whereby fome of them are- reduced to
great Neceffities : But you {hall have a particular
Account of their Arrears, and I doubt not but Con-
f1(jeratjon will be had thereupon, in fome fpeedy
and effectual Way. And this being Matter of Mo-
ney, I recommend it particularly to the Houfe of
Commons.
* You have, you know, a War with Spain, car-
ried on by the Advice of Parliament ; he is an old
Enemy, and a potent one, and therefore it will be
jieceflary, both for the Honour and Safety of thefe
Nations, that that War be vigoroufly profecuted.
4 Furthermore, the Conftitution of Affairs in all
our neighbour Countries, and round about us, (as
•well Friends as Enemies) is very confiderable ;
and calls upon us to be upon our Guard both at Land
and Sea, and to be in a Pofture able to maintain
and conferve our own State and Intereft.
' Great and powerful Fleets are preparing to be
fet forth into thefe Seas, and confiderable Armies of
feveral Nations and Kings are now difputing for the
Maftery of the Sound., with the adjacent Iflands and
Countries ; among which is the Emperor of Ger-
many,, with other Popifli States. I need not tell you
of what Confequencfe thefe Things are to this State.
' We have already interpofed in thefe Affairs, in
fuch Manner as we found it neceflary for the Intereft
of England ; and Matters are yet in fuch a Condi-
tion in thofe Parts, that the State may, with the
Afliftance of God, provide that their Differences
may not prejudice us.
' The other Things that are to be faid I (hall re-
fer to my Lord-Keeper Fiennes ; and clofe up what
I have to fay, with only adding two or three Parti-
culars to what I have already faid.
* And,y?r/?, I recommend to your Care the People
of God in thefe Nations, with their Concernments :
The more they are divided among themfelves, the
greater Prudence Ihould be ufed to cement them.
4 Secondly, The good and neceffary Work of Re-^
formation, both in Mar/nejs and in the Ajdminiftra-
tion
Of E N G L A N D. 269
tion of Juftice, that Profanenefs may be difcounte- Inter-regmua,
nanccd and fuppreffed, and that Righteoufnefs and l6s8-
Juftice may be executed in the Land. l^»~/— «*«J
* Thirdly, I recommend unto you the Proteftant
Caufe abroad, which feems at this Time to be in
feme Danger, having great and powerful Enemies,
and very few Friends ; and I hope and believe that
the old Engllfo Zeal to that Caufe is ftill amongft
us.
* Lajlly, My Lords, and you Gentlemen of the
Houfe of Commons, That you will, in all your De-
bates, maintain and confcrveLove and Unity among
yourfelves, that therein you may be fhe Pattern of
the Nation, who have fent you up in Peace, and
with their Prayers, that the Spirit of Wifdom atul
Peace may be among you : And this (hall alfo be my
Prayer for you ; and to this let us all add our utmoli
Endeavours for the making this an happy Parlia-
ment.'
The Lord Commiflioner Fiennes's Speech, on this
Occafion, was exprefled in thefe Terms : c
My Lsrds and Gentlemen,
* A • ^H E Wife Man having propofed this Que-^nj ti,at Of
fUon, IVhat can the Man do that cometb af~ CommjiSoner
ter thtKing? tfe anfwereth himfelf thus, Even fjfe
/•;;;/ / j , r\ r\
which hath been already done. And to the like Que-
ftion at this Time, * What can he fay that fpeaketh
* after his Highnefs?' The like Anfwer may not
be unfitly returned, ' Even that which hath been
' already fpoken.' Let me therefore crave your Pa-
tience, while I eccho back again unto you the fame
Things, which even now you have heard from his
Highnefs : Things, which cannot found too often
in your Ears, becaufe they cannot fink too deep into
your Hearts ; nor be too much upon your Thoughts.
4 You fee how the moft Wife God, the Supreme
Moderator and Governor of all Things, in the pre-
fcnt Difpenfation of his Providence, which we be-
hold
c Publifhed, by 1m Hishuefs's CoraTnanA, for lltnry Twr/
270 cThe Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. hold before our Eyes, doth, as it were, checquer
l658- out his Work unto us, and leemcth to pave his Way
^- ~v~ — * amongft us in Black and White. That which re-
jaauary. prefents itfelf unto us in a fad and black Colour, is
the Death of his late Highncfs, of famous and of
blcfled Memory : That which appeareth unto us,
Wtth a fair and promiiing Afpecl, is the Succeffion
of his prefent Highnefs to the Government of thefe
Nations, by the Appointment and Declaration of his
Father, in purfuance of the Advice of Parliament;
and this with the general and joyful Acceptation of
the People, teftified by fo many inoft affectionate
Addrefies; and that from moft, if not all, Counties,
Cities, Boroughs, and other Societies of Men, of
all Sorts, Profefftons, and Conditions: Whereby it
doth moft manifeftly appear, That what God fpake
unto them in that Difpenfation, at fuch Time as
their Hearts were full of Doubt, Fear, and Trouble,
upon his late Highnefs 's Death, was a Word fitly
fpoken^ like Apples of Geld in Pifiures of Silver*
And now, that his Highnefs hath called this Parlia-
ment of the Three Nations, he ftandeth at the Head
jof this Great and Mod Honourable Aflembly, the
Jleprefer.tative of the Three Nations ; and is held
forth to the World as a Noble Piece, befet on the
one Side, and on the other, with moft rich and pre-
cious Stones, whereby much of Price, and much of
Luftre, is added to it.
4 It is not my Bufmefs to praife the Dead, much
lefs to flatter the Living ; but the Things which I (hall
reprefent unto you, in relation to this Alteration,
which, of late, the Providence of God hqth wrought
amongft us, fhall be only fuch Confiderations as
have been remembered unto you by his Highnefs,
and fuch asmayminifterfitMatterforyourThoughts
to be cxercifed about, in order to the great Conful-
tations for which, at this Time, you are called to-
gether.
' His late Highnefs, you know, and the whole
World knows, was a Man of War ; yet he died ia
Peace, and left thefe Nations in Peace at home,
and
Of E N G L A N £. 271
and Victorious abroad ; and they are ftill, God's inter-recmm;,
Name be praifed for it, in Peace, and in Peace they j658-
are brought to your Hands ; wherein his Highnefs <— -v— '
and the Nations have placed great Confidence, and Jam
have great Hopes and Expeditions that they fhall
be fafe, and preferved in Peace : A Thing fo well
pleafing to God, who is the God of Peace, and fo
acceptable to thefe Nations, who have fufficiently
teftified their Love to Peace, and their Longing af-
ter Settlement. But that is not all j his late High-
nefs not only left thefe Three Nations in Peace,
with, in, and betwixt themfelves, but alfo in Uni-
ty: And as it was his and the late Parliament's wor-
thy Work and Care to unite thefe Three Nations
into one Commonwealth, that they might be no
longer Thorns in the Eyes, and Goads in the Sides
of each other, as fometimes they have been (and
as Wales formerly was, and as other Provinces in
our neighbour Nations were, unto them, till they
found Means to incorporate them into one Body and
Government) ; fo his Highnefs held it incumbent
upon him to bring them united to and in this Par-
liament, according to the Practice of the late Parlia-
ments whilft they fat, and the exprefs Declaration
of their Intention, That all Parliaments, for the
future, fhould be Parliaments of the Three Nations ;
and that there fliould be fome Members to ferve in
them from and for the Three Nations ; which
Unity in the Supreme Legiflative Power doth not
only ferve, at prefent, to prevent Mifchief and Di-
ftraction, but may aifo, by the Bleffing of God, for
the future, procure a full and perfect Coalition -,
whereby the Breaches and Sufferings of many for-
mer Ages will be avoided, their Delires and Endea-
vours attained, and the Fears of many fucceedinj
Generations fecured; and fo, at length, a ftrong
treble Cord twifted together, which cannot be eafily
brokeji ; I fay, which cannot be eafily broken while
it remains twifted together: But, if untwifted, it
may not only be foon and eafily broken itfelf ; but,
afterward, each Part wHl ferve and help to break
£Ue other.
272 ^e Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-reenum. ' In the next Place, that which I (hall offer to
1658. your Thoughts, upon this Subject, is, That his
*--— v—-> late Highnels had it much in his He.art to build the
^aouary, j^oufe of God, with the Courts thereof, and made
great Preparations for it. By the Houfe of God, I
mean the Church of God \ by the Courts thereof,
the true and pure \Votihip of God, and Juftice and
Judgment amongft Men : This makes the outward,
that the inward, Court of God'.s Houfe ; and to all
thefe his late Highnefs had made very confiderabte
Preparations.
' As, firft, David? that fwect Singer of Ifrael^ was
net more fkilfull to he^et Confort in Diicord, and
in tuning the feveral and different Strings of his Harp
to a melodious Harmony, than his late Highnefs was
4extrous and wonderfully fuccefsful in keeping Love
between diflenting Brethren, and preferving a Chri-
ftian Unity in a Chriftian and warrantable Variety ;
which Thing is a great Preparation towards the
building of that Spiritual Houfe, whereof we fpoke.
' Another g;reat Preparative was, the Care he con-
ilantly took, that godly and able Preachers and Mi-
jiifters {hould be fent forth into all Parts ; and before
they were fent out, that they fnould pafs the Tef]:
and Examination of prudent, learned, and pious Ap-
provers.
' A third Preparative was, The Care heconftantiy
took of the Univerfities and Schools of good Learn-
ing, that thofe Fountains might always be kept
clear; and that from thence there might continu-
ally iilue a pure River of Water of Life, as clear as
Chryftal, proceeding from the Throne of God and
of the Lamb.
' A fourth Preparative was, The putting of fuch
Perfons in Places of Truft and Power, who would
be a Countenance to godly Men and Godlinefs, and
difcountenance Atheifm and Profanenefs.
* And, laftly, As to the outward Court of God's
Houfe, the Admimftration of Judgment and Juftice
amongft Men, what were his Defires and Endea-
vours, and what his Care, from Time to Time, to
fill
Of ENGLAND. 273
fill the Benches with able and learned Judges, we
all know.
' All thefe Preparations, and many more, did his
Highnefs make for this Houfe ; and all the Mate-
rials thereof arc fo fitted and fquared before-hand, by
the Humble Petition and Advice, and other good
Laws made by the late Parliament, that, by the
HeJp of God, there will be no Need of any new
Hammering, nor that there fhall be heard the Noife
of any Hammer, or Axe, much lefs of Spear or
Sword, or any Tool of Iron, for what is to be fur-
ther done in the building of this Houfe.
' Such, indeed, that look upon the Petition and
Advice with a partial and prejudicate Eye ; of, as
it may be diflorted on the one Side or the other in
the Execution thereof, may think there hath not
been a right Meafure taken of many Things, and
that there is great Need of running them over
again : But whofoever {hall well weigh the fame, and
look into it with a fingle Eye, will find, that both
our Spiritual and CivifLiberties have been fquared,
ftated, and defined therein, with a great deal of Care
and Exactnefs ; and that, according to the true
Nature of a Definition, it is neither too narrow,
nor too broad ; neither too long, nor too fhort :
That it hath not taken in any thing that fhould have
been left out, nor left out any thing that is eilential.
' I fay this, as to the main, That no truly Godly
Men need to fear Perfecution, nor any wilful Sin-
ners, of any Sort, either in Faith or Practice, hope
for Impunity : That no Freemen need fear to be
made Slaves, nor that any Men's lawlefs Liberty,
under Pretence of making all free, fhould, indeed,
make all Men Slaves : But the I/egiflative and Ex-
ecutive Powers are fo ftated therein, in relation to
one another, and to their own Parts within them-
felves, that neither may hinder, but each Part help,
the other ; and that none in either might have more
or lefs Power than is neceffary for the Good of the
whole : And yet is there ftill behind a great and a
glorious Work, in the Location and Compofure of
VOL. XXI. thefc
2 74 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. thefe Parts, though never fo well fitted. The Ex-
1658^ ecution of the Law is the Life, the Completion,
U- "•PV"»'«J the Perfection thereof.
Januaiy. c rp,^ Application of Things to Perfons, and of
Per'fons to Things ; and the right jointing and ce-
menting of one Part to the other, by a Spirit of
Love within, and Eftablifhment of due and neccf-
. fary Order without, will make this Houfe to rife"
up into a ftrong,. a perfect, and a beautiful Structure
and Fabric amongit us ; to which much of Care,
and many Proyifions, will be necefFary. What
then remains, but that his Highn'efs, and both
Houfes of Parliament, fhould fet about this noble
Wqrk, till they have brought, it to Perfection.
That as it is frem in your Memories, and as you
even now heard from that Reverend Perion f, who
was the M.outh of God unto you, Mercy and Truth
may meet together, and Pence and Rigbieoiijnefs kifr
each other; that Chriftian Liberty may be'pie-
ierved, without Unchriftian Licentioufnefs ; that
Miniftry and Magiftracy niay be maintained and
refined ; and Learning and the Schools thereof fo
ordered, that they may continually fupply the
fame, and not be, as Abbies and Monaftetics Ibrne-
times were, either Nurferies of Vice and Idlenefs,
or of. Faction and Contention ; that Godlinefs' may
be fet on the Throne, and Profanenefs thrown
out on the Dunghill ; that Law and Juftice may
be executed with Equity and Mercy ; that neither
Craft nor Cruelty may take Advantage of the
Rigour of the Law, or of the Hands of God, to
turn Judgment into Wormwood, and Juftice into
Gall : That Judgment and Juftice may run down
with a clear and fwift Stream ; and if any Rubbifh,
Mud, or Weeds, through Length of Time, be got
into the Channel, it may be cleared by fuch careful
Hands, as, in fcouring the Channel, will take Heed
not to dig down the Banks, left thereby an Inunda-
tion of Arbitrary Power and Jurifdiclion ihall be
let in upon the Nations.
'In
f Dr. Goodivin, who took thefe Words for hi; Text to hii Sermon
preached before the Parliament.
Of ENGLAND. 275
e In the laft Place ; that which I fhal) offer to inter-regmu
your Confidcration, is, That, if this Government, »658-
when it firft fprang up in the Hands of his late *— — v*"» •
Highnefs, out of thofe dreadful Confufions which January«
had covered the Face of thefe Three Nations, was
readily embraced by them as a choice and hopeful
Plant, tho' as yet but a tender one, and fuch as
had but newly taken to the Soil, with how much
more Reafon may we now expect, that it ihould
be enabled to encounter the foreft Storms and Tem-
pefts that may arife ? Being fbpported partly by its
own proper Firmnefs, through the Good will and
Liking of the People, out of the Experience they
have had of the Benefit they have received from it,
and the Peace and Tranquility they have enjoyed
under the Shadow thereof ; and partly by the Ao
ceffion of Parliamentary Authority, both paft and
to come, which it cannot but much expect and
rely upon, from Time to Time, and at all Times,
confidering the great Obligations that their Wif-
dom and good Affection to the Welfare of thefe
Nations, and the Law, by their Oaths, and other-
wife, hath laid upon them in this Behalf: So that
it being fo well rooted downwards, and fo well
grown upwards, though poifibly the Boughs and
Branches thereof may be a little fliaken fometimes,
and moved one while this Way, and another while
that Way ; yet there will be no Danger of theTree's
fallino;, by God's Grace, unlefs we have fo far pro-
voked his Juftice by our Ingratitude in general, and
in particular for the Mercy we have and may ftill
further enjoy, if it be not our own Faults, under this
Government, that he fhall fuffer a Spirit of Divifion
to run through the principal Parts thereof, that they
fall one from another ; and fe, at length, fall one
upon another; and fo, at laft, fall down all together,
and then be trodden Under-foot, and that on all
Hands, and on every Side; and with them the Peace
of thefe Nations which they enjoy at home, and the
Honour and Renown which they have gain'd abroad,
than which they had never more than at this Day,
both far and near. But why fpeak I of the Honour
S ?. of
276 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Interregnum, of Men; when as the Honour of God, and the Safety
1658. antj Profperity of his Churches and People, both here
^~v~**~* and throughout all Chriftendom, doth fix much de-
pend upon the Peace and Confiftency of thefe Nations
at this Time, as in Truth they do, as much, if not
more, than on all the Nations in the World befides.
' This is a great Word which I have faid, but it
is a true one; and if the prefent State and Pofture of
Affairs throughout the whole Chriftian World be
well weighed and confidered, it will be found that
this is no fwelling Vaunt, but a well-meafured
Truth : And, becaufe it is fo, no doubt the grand
Enemy of our Peace, becaufe he is the grand Enemy
of God and his Church, will be very bufy at this
Time with all his Inftruments, and will caft many
Mifts before our Eyes. He is a Spirit of Darknefs,
of Error, and Miftakes, that he may become a Spirit
of Mifunderflanding and Divifion; and he is a Spirit
of Divifion, becaufe he delights in War and Blood-
Ihed, the natural Confequences thereof, for he was
a Murderer from the Beginning: But we are not ig-
norant of his Arts and Wiles ; and whatever fair
and beautiful Shapes he appears in at the firft, yet, if
we examine him to the Bottom, from Top to Toe,
we fhall at length difcover him by his divided and
dividing Foot 3 and thence take Warning to avoid
;him.
* We have alfo a wholefome and divine Council
to preferve us from falling into his Snare; that is, to
hold the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.
What is that Bond of Peace ? In a moral Senfe, it
is that treble Knot of true Love and good Under-
Handing between his Highnefs and the two Houfes
of Parliament. In a politic Confideration, it is the
Conftitution of our Government, whereby we have
another treble Cord, befides that of the Three Nati-
ons united into one Commonwealth, viz. The Con-
ftitution of their Supreme Legiflative Power, con-
fifting of a Single Perfon and Two Houfes of Parlia-
ment ; which Cord, while it is kept well twifted to-
gether, will -be a great Strength to itfelf, to the Na-
tions, and to the People of God, in thefe and all our
jieigh-
Of E N G L A N D. 277
neighbouring Nations round about us : But if once it Inter-regnui
begin to unravel, and the two Ends fall one from .Jf*!!^
another, and from the Middle, all will run to Ruin : jauuai>
Therefore be very careful to hold fail the Bond, and
beware of all iuch as (hall be picking at the Knot,
under what Colour or Pretence foever ; yea, though
they promife never fo much, and undertake to bind
it up as faft, and in a better Fafliion than it was
before. This tying and untying of the Bond, and
continual feeking after new-fafhioned Knots, hath
put thefe Nations to much Trouble, and into more
Danger.
* It is good to hold what we have, till we arc fure
to meet with that which is better ; and, of all fa-
fhioned Knots, the Nations will be worft fatisfied
with a Bow-Knot, a Hiding, a Slip- Knot, which
will be always faft and loofe ; which every Touch,
at either End, will dillblve, and leave the Nations
always at Uncertainty, always in Unfettlement: But
the Knot which takes in both Ends, the Top and
the Bottom, and joins them faft together, and to the
Middle, with a treble Knot; and wherein each Part
helps to faftcn the other, and the drawing of either
End draws all nearer and clofer together ; this will
make a faft Knot ; a Knot, by God's Bleffing, like
to hold, and to continue. And, furely, were there
no other Confideration but this, (give me Leave to
repeat it, though I have faid it once before) this alone
were tufficient to make us keep clofe together, at
this Time, becaufe we cannot fall in Pieces as Things
now ftand abroad, but the whole Proteftant Inte-
reft, throughout the whole World, is like to fall
afunder alfo with us.
' For if we well confider how the Princes and
States in Germany, both the Upper and the Lower,
and in the Northern Parts of Europe, begin to ftate
their Intereft otherwife, and to take a different Mea-
fure of their Confederacies and Alliances than for-
merly they have done, we ftiall find, upon the Mat-
ter, but one ftngle Bar, that is confiderable, to check
the growing Power of the Aujlrian Family in thofe
Parts j vvhereunto it cannot long make Head, with-
S 3 out
278 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. out Support and Help from others ; and from whence
^ J.^J^j only any that is considerable can be expected, \% not
January. hard to judge.
* I {hall not need to mind you of that which more
nearly concemeth you, for it fo nearly concerns you
that you cannot but be fenfible of it : I mean the
prefent Condition of Affairs, in relation to the Sound
and Baltic Sea, and the great Forces, both by Sea
and Land, that look that Way : And how far, and
how foon, this may bring to the Stake all the Ma-
terials wherewith your Walls muft be upheld, (I fay,
your beft Walls, and the beft in the World, though
Wooden ones) I leave to your Confideration ; and
how critical this very Spring may prove to the faving
or lofing of your Stake. Only this I (hall fay, fhould
your Wings be once clipp'd in that Kind, when you
fhall get up again to the Pitch where now you are,
none but he only, who only (and that too in an ex-
traordinary Way) can help you up again, he only
can tell.
' On the other Side ; for the other Branch of the
Houfe of Auftria, which fometimes hath been, and
may foon be again, the Terror and Jealoufy of the
whole World, you know what Balance it only hath,
and upon what ticklim Terms it now ftands ; and
what Friends he hath made, and what he further
hopes to make, of old Enemies ; and what Advan-
tages he hath, and ftill further hopes to make of
them; not only to your Prejudice, and the endan-
gering of your Ruin, but of thole themfelves alfo, in
the end, whofe helping Hands, by Inticements of
prefent Advantages, he endeavours to draw to his
Affiftance, in the pulling down of their own Out-
works and beft Supports. It is true he hath fuf-
fered fome Breaches, and received fome Wounds pf
late ; but how foon, by the help of that vaft Trea-
fure which he draws continually from the Indies^
if he may bring it ftill quietly home, he may repair
thofe Breaches, and heal up thofe Wounds again,
who doth not fee ?
* Some Things are fitter for your Thoughts than
your Ears; therefore this I (hall only fay in general,
That
Of E N G L A N D. 279
That the Opportunities which you -have had, and
yet, in Part, have, to put your Intereft, and that of
your bcft Friends, in feme Meafure, in Safety, nruy
loon be loft, if they be not already upon the Wing,
and then it may never be in your Power to recover
them again : Therefore his Highnefs maketh no
Quefiiou, but that you will take thefe Things into
your fpeedy and lerioui, Conflderation; and that you
will think timely of the Means of Defence and Of-
fence iw order thereunto.
* The late Parliament, having engaged 'in tbis
War, very honourably made fome conllderablePro-
vifions to carry on the fame ; 1 /ay, confiderable,
with refpcci to our little World., out of which they
were to be ruifod j though not proportionable to that
great World, and thofe vaft Territories and Damu-
nions, whereof our Enemy. is pofleiled, anil where -
upon they vaunt themiclves that the Sun doth never
fet. But our Comfort alfo, on the other Side, io,
That he that fs our Sun doth never fet) and he that
is our Shield will never fail us.
' You will receive a particular Account, frqm
thole under whofe Survey and Care thofe Things,
are, of the State of the Public Revenue, and of the
Farces both by Sea and Land; your inward and
outward Walls, under God, and as good as any in
the World : But as all Things which are good- arc
aifo coftly, fo can it not be expected but that the
Charge of them fhould be great.
' His Highnefs hath aflured you, That the Army
(I fpcak of the Forces both by Sea and Land in the
Three Nations) is a good and faithful Army, and
will be ready to engage in every good Thing ami
A&ion, whereof no Man either ought, or need/JxT
make Qucftion. His Highnefs hath further told you,
That they are a patient Army ; and, when you feu.
the Account of their Arrears, that will \-c °Mt of.
Queftion; and, without all Qucftion, God hath ufed
them as fmgular Inftrumcnts of his Honour, and of
the. Honour of thefe Nations : And as 'England^ by
God's Mercy, is now enlightned in the Knowledge;'
of Truth, it would well near venture a Starving
(though:
280 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnam. (though, God, be praifed, that is not its Cafe) than
it would ftarve fuch an Army in fuch a Caufe ;
wherein the Honour of God, and of the Nation, fhall
be concern'd. This, I think, I may adventure to
fay, in general, That our Preparations are not greater
than our Neighbours, tho' our Concern is every way
as much, or more, than theirs ; neither are our Debts
greater than theirs, though we have had more Oc-
cafion of Expence, or fuJl as much every way : And
if our Income had anfwered the Foot of Account,
which the laft Parliament went upon in their in-
tended Supplies, we had not increafed much, if at
all, the Debt of the Commonwealth ; neither had
we exceeded our Bounds, or not fo much, by God's
Blefling on our Defigns, as we have enlarged its
Bounds and Territories ; and that alfo fo advan-
tageoufly, as not only the Danger of hoftile Inva-
iion and Trade-deftroying Piracy is fet at a further
Diftance from us, but alfo much Honour abroad,
together with Safety and Advantage at home, has
thereby accrued unto thefe Nations.
' Before I conclude, I muft again reiterate that
which runs fo much in my Mind, becaufe it lies fo
much upon my Heart ; that upon the IfTue of your
Councils, and the Peace and Confiftency of thefe
Nations at this Time, doth very much, if not
wholly, depend the Life and Breath of all the
Hopes, of all the Expectations, of the Churches of
Cbrift throughout the World. Since then there is
fo great a Truft repofed in you, fo great a Price put
into your Hands, lay your Hands upon your Hearts,
3nd lift your Hearts up to Heaven, where your
Help, where our Hope lies.
' His Highnefs hath fully exprefled his high
Efteem of Parliaments, and his Judgment of them,
that they are the moft adequate and commenfurate
Councils to Matters of fo great and fo high Import-
ance \ and he doth as firmly refolve, that they (hall
enjoy all thofe great Freedoms and Privileges which
have been granted unto them, in order to thofe great
Ends ; and his Hope and Prayer to Almighty God,
is. That they may be made ufe of by you to thofe.
Of E N G L A N D. 281
great and blefled Ends, that all the Three Nations, later- regn
yea, that all the People of God, every where, may
rife up, ill together, and blefs you ; and that you "
may be blefled, and your Names be a Blefling to
this and all fucceeding Generations.
* This is all that I have in Charge from his High-
nefs to fay unto you ; faving what particularly re-
lates to the Members of the Houfe of Commons,
That they fhould repair to their Houfe to chufe
their Speaker.'
The next Day, January 28, began with appoint- Another Seek,
ing a Day for a folemn Humiliation and Seeking of'ne°f G
God, for his fpecia! Afliftance and Blefling upon thet>0"lted*
Endeavours of that Houfe. Dr. Reynolds^ Mr.
Manton^ Dr. Owen, and Mr. Calarny, were ordered
to aflift in carrying on the Woik of Prayer and
Preaching.
A large Committee for Privileges and Elections
was appointed, with the ufual Refolutions of the
Houfe for their Conduct. Except that, in all Cafes
where there are double Returns for one Place, no
Perfon or Perfons fo returned fhall fit in the Houfe,
untill it be firft determined concerning the faid Re-
turn, or Election.
Jan. 31. On this Day there was a very ftri&A Call of the
Call of the Houfe, and all Defaulters marked in aHoufe-
Book for that Purpofe. Some Members, chofe for
two or more Places, made their Eleclion for which
they would ferve; which is all that is entered for
this Day,
February i. A Bill, intituled, An Aft of Recogni-
tion of his Highnejs's Right and Title to be Proteftor
and Chief Magijlrate of the Commonwealth of Eng-
land, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Dominions and
Territories thereunto bclinging, was this Day read
the firft Time, and ordeied to be read a fecond
Time on the yth.
This Bill, being thought of the utmoft Confe-
ciucnce, met with great Oppofition at this Time ;
it
282 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. it will be neceflary, therefore, before we proceed
1658. \yith the "Journals, to inquire into the Hiftorians of
Fb"*ar t^efe Times, to find what they have left us about
rvary* it ; for upon pafiing, or rejecting, this Bill, turned
all the Hinges of Richard's Government.
The laft quoted Author, who was a moft noted
Republican, is extremely circumftantial and exact,
as appears by Comparifon with the Commons Jour-
nals, about the Debates on this Bill ; and tells us,
' That on the ift of Februry a Bill was brought in by
Mr. Secretary Tkurloe^ under Pretence only of ac-
knowledging the pretended Prote&or, but under fuch
Terms as had no lefs in them than the Admittance
of the Chief Magiftrate, and the Perfons then fitting
in the Other Houfe, unto the full Power, Privileges,
and Prerogative of the antient Kings and antient
Houfe of Lprds, which the Court Party defigncd
to have carried undifcovered, and fo have left the
Nation either to have fought the late Quarrel over
again, or elfe to be content with a bad Change of
Perfons, where there was none of Things.
' The Bill was that Day, without much Diffi-
culty, read the firft Time j which encouraged
thofe of the Long Robe, related to the Single Per-
fon, to prefs for the reading of it again the fame
Day ; to the end that, it being the next Day read
the third Time, as they defigned it, it might have
patted into an A£; but, in Oppofition to that, fome
who were more careful of the Liberties of the
People than thofe of the Long Robe ordinarily are,
moved, that, according tp Rule in Cafes of fuch
Weight, it might be referred to a Grand Committee
of the whole Houfe ; and when that would not be
granted, that the fecond Reading of it might at leaft
be put off for fome Days, and Liberty given to the
Members to take Copies, that, considering of the
Bufmefs, they might be the more fitting for the De-
bate j which was at length yielded unto, and the
7th of February appointed for the fecond Reading.'
•
Feb. 4. This being the Day of Humiliation, it
was kept by both Houfcs. The Preachers had the
Thanks
Of ENGLAND. 283
Thanks of the Houfe of Commons ordered them for Jnter-reenum.
their great I'aiiij-taking in carrying on the Work of l6>8'
the Day, and west- deiircd to piint their Sermons. *T7y^"'*J
The Mon-:y collated for Charity, at this Faft, was i»
ordered to he diuSibvr:cd anr-r^, th.- Toor of the two
Pariih^s of Margaret's r/fj}mlvjlcry and Martin's
in the Fields.
Some Elections being next adjufled, the Houfe,
according to Order, proceeded on the Act of Re- TheRccognition
cognition; and, firft, refolved, That the Serjeant13111 debated'
at Arms do go with his Mace into WejlminJ^cr-Hall^
and fummon all thc'Membeis to give their Attend-
ance, forthwith, in the Houfe : When the Bill, iW
tituled, An Afl of Recognition of his Higlmcfis 'Title
to be Protestor and Chief Ma gijlr ate 'of the Common-
wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the
Dominions and Territories thtreunto belonging^ be thia
Day read the fecond Time. Then it was ordered,
That the Debate upon this Bill be adjourned till
To-morrow Morning at Nine of the Clock j to be
then proceeded in, and nothing elfe to intervene.
The five fucceeding Days were wholly taken up
in debating this grand Point of Government, with-
out coming to any Conclufion about it : And on
Monday the I4th the Bill was not yet fo far carried
through, as to come to a Commitment. We fhall,
therefore, give the whole of this Day's Proceedings
in the very Words of the 'Journal; and then confult
the Hiftorians and Memorialifts of thefc Times, for
a further and clearer Explanation of it.
Monday, February 14, 1658.
PRAYERS.
4 The Houfe, according to the Order made on
Saturday^ took into Confederation a previous Vote?
upon the Matter of the Debate of the Houfe, before
the Commitment of the Bill, intituled, An ,#? pf
Recognition*
* The Qucflion being propounded, That it be
Part of this Bill, to recognize and declare his High-
nefs
284 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. nefs RICHARD Lord Protector, to be the un-
1 **— _f dou^te^ kord Pi"ote&or and Chief Magiftrate of the
F "bruarv Commonwealth of England^ Scotland^ and Ireland^
and the Dominions and Territories thereunto be-
longing : The Queftion was put, That the Word
recognize fliould ftand in the Queftion, which was
carried in the Affirmative by 191 againft 168. Then
a Motion being made, That the Word undoubted
Ihould ftand in the Queftion, it pafled in the Negative
without a Divifion. The Queftion then being pro-
pounded, That it be Part of this Bill to recognize and
declare his Highnefs Richard Lord Protector, to be
Lord Protector and Chief Magiftrate of the Com-
monwealth of England^ Scotland, and Ireland^ and
the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging;
it was agreed to without Oppofi tion ; and then it was
farther refolved,That, before this Bill be committed,
this Houfe do declare fuch additional Claufes to be
Part of the Bill, as may bound the Power of the Chief
Magiftrate, and fully fecure the Rights and Privi-
leges of Parliament, and the Liberties and Rights
of the People ; and that neither this, nor any other
previous Vote, that is or (hall be pafs'd, in order to
this Bill, ftiall be of Force, or binding to the
People, untill the whole Bill be pafs'd.'
This great Conteft about Government lay be-
tween the Republican Party and the Court Party, as
they were now called ; who, like Men of the fame
Appellation of a later Date, were always ready to
fupport fuchMeafures as contributed to their own pri-
vate Ends ; and Richard's known Weaknefs gave them
great Hopes of much Emolument under his Reign.
Mr. Ludlow^ one of the moft zealous Republi-
cans that was now alive of the old Stamp, tells us,
* That he was elected a Member of this Aflembly,
or Parliament ; but was very cautious of fitting in
it, becaufe he would not take the Oath prefcribed at
the Beginning of the Seflion. However, that he
and fome others, having got that Matter over-ruled
in the Houfe, they did fit, and were the principal
Opponents to the Court Party in this Affair.'
The
Of E N G L A N D. 285
The fame Memoriallft goes on and acquaints us, Inter-return.
* That it was Mr. Thurhe* Secretary to the late and
prefent Protestor, and a Member of that Aflembly,
who prefented the Bill, or Declaration, ready drawn ;
wherein was contained an Acknowledgment of the
faid Richard Cromwell to be Proteclor, and the Pe-
tition and Advice to be the Rule of Government for
thefe Nations : That this Action was erteemed to
be a great Injury to this Aflembly by all impartial
Menj but he had fufficient Strength in the Houfe to
carry him thro* whatfoever he thought fit to under-
take, and therefore he was not only defended in what
he had done, but was refolved that the Bill fliould be
received and debated.' But hear what our Author
further fpeaks in his own Words : *
' Hereupon it was moved that the Inflrument
might be produced ; wherein, according to the Pe-
tition and Advice, the Succeflbr ought to be nomi-
nated, and the Great Seal affix'd j but they, having
no fuch Thing to (hew, over- ruled that Motion,
Not being able to obtain this, and being extreme!-,
defirous to place the Militia in the Parliament, and
to make void any Pretence to a Negative Voice ia
a Single Pcrfon, as well as to do fome other Things
for the People's Safety and Welfare, the Court
Party refufed to confent to any thing of that Naturp
for the prefent, craftily infmuating and making large
Promifes, that fuch Things as were neceflary (hould
be done hereafter at a more convenient Seafon. Jn
the next Place it was defired, that faice it appeared
the prefent Power had no legal Foundation, and
that it would be moft fafe for the Protector to derive
his Authority from a right Source, the Words jrj
the Declaration of recognizing him might be alter'si
for agnizing him ; that fo his Right might appear
to be founded upon the Confent of the People reprr -
fented in this Aflembly: But this Proportion, tin
inforced with many weighty Reafons, was rejected,
as the former had been, tho' it was thought xronve-
Jiient to divide the Houfe upon it.
< Upoa
* Mryiairt, Vol. II. p. 624, tt f'j.
286 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. ' Upon this Succefs the Court, prefuming to carry
1658. all before them, grew unmeafurably infolent, and
*— -v— — ' all that could be done was only to lengthen out their
February. Debates, and to hang on the" Wheels of the Cha-
riot, that they might net be able to drive fo furi-
oufly. By this Means Time was gained to infufe
food Principles into divers younu; Gentlemen, who
efore had never been in any public Affembly, in
hopes that though, for the preiert, their previous
.Engagements (hould carry them againft us, yet,
upon mature Deliberation, they might difcover
where their true Intereit lay. Neither were our
Endeavours without Succefs ; for having frequently
held the Houfe nine or ten Days in .Debate before
they could come to a Queftion, many Gentlemen
who came to IVeJlminfter^ prepoftefied in Favour of
the Court, confeiTed that the Reafoni. of the Com-
monwealth Party were fo cogent, that they were
jiot able to refift them. And becauft ail Parties had
confederated againft us, we, in order to Icilen their
Numbers, impeached divers of them for having
been of the King's Party; by which Means we pro-
cured fome of them to be expelled, and frighted
away fome others, who knew themfelves to be in
the fame Condition. The Court, to requite us,
brought Mr. Marvin Touchet, a Papiit, and Brother
to the Lord of Cajtlehavnn^ to accuie Mr. Pillars^
who had voted with us, of ferving in the King's
Army ; and though it appeared that he was forced
fo to do by thofe who hud the Government of him,
he being then but fixteen Years of Age, and that
he came into the Parliament's Quarters as foon as
he had an Opportunity ; yet all that could be faid
proving not fufficient to excufe him, he was like-
^yife voted out from the Houfe.' d
Mr. Wlnthcke is very mort, now, in his Account
of every Matter that occurs to the End of his Me-
mortals. He had been complimented by Richard^
in giving him the Cuftody of the Great Seal, along
with
d Along with Mr. Pillar t were expelled Edtntmd Jones, Efq; for
tjie County of fert(cn, and Join G/aji'viile, Serjeant at Law, for
St, Germans, Ctm, Journ.
Of ENGLAND. 287
with Li/le and Fienncs ; and the greateft Part of the Inter-regnuna.
Bufmefs lying upon him, as he tells us, allowed him *°-
frriall Leifure to attend to other Matters. His Re-
mark on thefe Affairs being only this, « February 8,
The Houfe of Commons debated the Bill of Recog-
nition of his Highnefs to be Lord Protector, and
fome were very crofs in that Bufmefs, which caufed
Doubts of the good IfTue of this Parliament :' But
ns the Narrative of this Parliament, before quoted,
is more open and clear than can be expected from
a Perfon concerned in every evil Machination and
Change of Government fince the Diflblution of Mo-
narchy to this Time, we fhall give this alfo in its
own Words :
* Upon the yth of February being the Day ap-
pointed, the Bill for recognizing the Protestor was
read a fecond Time, and a great Debate enfuecf.
The Petition and Advice was pleaded, by the
Court Party, as the Foundation of big Title, but
by thofe that ftood for the Commonv.Tulth it wais
denied to be a Law ; nnd that riot only from th.
Inconfiftency, Lamenefs, and InfuiKcicricy of it, but
alfo from the corrupt Mann'er of if Pr ^curement ,
that Aflembly that made it being 'no Parliament, but
a Faction, in that the Members were never fuf-
fered to meet, but fo many of them kept out, even
by him who called them, as he judged would hin-
der the Execution of his Will ; befides, that at the
Creation of that Monfter, there were, of 460 cftofen,
but 104 in the Houfe ; whereof 51 'Were afjninft it,
and it was carried mecrly by the Strength of Scots arii
Irijh Members, who had no Right to fit, but \\\
Ufurpers in the making Laws for England, ft teas
further (hewn, that if Ceefar Burgia, Pope Alexan-
der VI. and Machiavely had all laid theirHeads to-
gether, they could not have framed a Thing in
deftru£tive to the Liberties 6f the People, and for
abfolute Tyranny, giving away all that our Ancef-
tors had fought for ever lince the Conqueft, than the
Petition and Advice ; as the Negative Vote, the
Power of diflblving Parliaments, the Purfe of the
People, and in tha$ ail the Security they had for
their
288 *Tke Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnunj. their Rights and Liberties ; for give the Single Per-
5 fon your Purle, and you give him the Militia; and
February ^ ne nave l^at» a^ Soundings of him by Laws fig-
nify no more than binding of a Lion with Paper
Chains. But the Courtiers being refolved of no-
thing lefs than a Turki/h Power, would fuffer no
Strength of Reafon to prevail with them, to the
making of the Petition and Advice unauthentic, but
would by Force have it allowed for a good Law;
V/hich provoked the demanding the Purfuance of that
Law to be proved, and that the Pretender's* Defigna-
tion was according as it is there directed ; but tho*
this was prefied by divers Perfons of cieat Abilities,
never any Anfwer was given unto it ; thofe of that
Party knowing that, by the Strength oi their Mem-
bers, they could over-rule the Strength of Reafon :
It was, from fuch Silence in the Point of Defigna-
tion, argued, that if Providence had prevented the
Ufurper from keeping to the Rules of the Petition
and Advice, and that it was thereby fallen to the
Ground, all Government was reverted to its Original,
the People ; and ought by them, affembled in Par-
liament, to be derived whenever it fhould be fought ;
which would readily have been done to the Gentle-
man in Pofleffion, if he and his Party would, upon
thofe Terms, have accepted of it.
' This Debate, no Man fpeaking twice to the
Matter, held eight Days, in which Time fuperla-
tive Excellency, and good Affedtions to the Public,
appeared in feveral Gentlemen ; yet the beft End
they could bring this Debate unto, was to conclude
with the two following Votes, as previous to the
Commitment of the Bill :
Feb. 14. Refolved, as before, « That it be Part
of this Bill to recognize and declare his Highnefs
Richard Lord Protestor, to be Lord Protector and
Chief Magiftrate of the Commonwealth of England 'f
Scotland^ and Ireland^ and the Dominions and Ter-
ritories thereunto belonging.'
« Re-
e This is the fi.-ft Time that we have met with this Titlt for King
Charles II, t/hish proves it t* be older tbac m«ft may thjipk,
Of E N G L A N D. 289
Refolved, * That, before this Bill be committed, inter-regnum.
this Houfe do declare fuch additional CJaufes to be l658-
Part of this Bill, as may bound the Power of the v-"-V""J
Chief Magiftrate, and fully fecure the Rights and
Privileges of the Parliament, and the Liberties and
Rights of the People ; and that neither this nor any
other previous Vote that is, or (hall be, parted, in
order to this Bill, is, or {hall be, of Force, or bind-
ing, unto the People, untill the whole Bill be pafs'd.'
* This laft previous Vote parted the Houfe with-
out one Negative more than the Secretary; but
when the Courtiers knew the Senfe of JWitehall
upon it, from that Time forward they owned them-
felves fuch flavim Executioners of a Pretender's Will
and Luft, that they never appeared in the leaft for
the making good one Word of it.
* During this Debate, feveral Complaints were
made, reflecting upon the Court's Defigns, as that
the Affixes (without Precedent, upon no greater Oc-
caiion) were put off, to the common Wrong of the
whole Nation ; defiring, therefore, that, to the end
that the People might receive no Prejudice by the
Sitting of Parliament, nor have Caufe to be out
of Love with Parliaments, the Protector might be
moved to command the carrying on of the Affixes ;
but the Courtiers being refolved not to lofe fo con-
fiderable a Part of their Strength as the Lawyers,
they would have the whole Nation to fufifer in the
Want cf Juftice, rather than they would Want one
of their Members.
* That Whitehall had wrote eighty Letters for the
making Members of Parliament, moft of which had
their Effea : That Mr. Howard, a Papift, and Bro-
ther to the Earl of Antndel^ boafted that, at the In-
ftance of the Protector and Secretaiy, he had fent 24
Members to Parliament : That feveral Tables were
kept at Whitehall^ at the vaft Charge of the Public,
on purpofe to corrupt and deboift Members by great
Entertainments ; all which was acknowledged to be
againft the Orders of the Houfe, and particularly for
any Members, not menial Servants, to go to Wl.
£ff//during the Sittine of thcParliame:
VOL, XXI. T To
290 The Parliamentary HISTCXRY
Inter-regnum. To proceed with the "Journals.
— — i The Houfe continued to debate the additional
Claufes to the Recognition Bill for fome Days more,
without coming to a Commitment of it. In the In-
terim, this Day, Feb. 17, the Houfe had all the
public Accounts of the National Receipts and Debts
laid before them from the feveral Offices, and ordered
thefe Accounts and Papers to be audited by a Com-
mittee of twelve Members.
We have yet met with no Mention of the Other
Houfe, in the 'Journals of the Commons, till this
Day, Feb. 18, when a Queftion was propofed in
that Houfe, That they fhould proceed to determine
the Power of the Negative Voice, in the Chief
Magiftrate, in the paffing of Laws, before the Con-
ftitution of the Parliament, as to two Houfes, be
firft refolved on. On this Queftion the Houfe
divided, when the Numbers were found to be 86
Yeas, and 217 Noes; whereupon it was refolved,
That the Houfe do take into Confideration the
Conftitution of the Parliament as to two Houfes,
the firft Bufinefs the next Morning, and nothing
elfe to intervene.
Accordingly this Day, Feb. 19, the Houfe went
upon that Affair ; and, after much Debate, they
came to two Refolutions : i. That it fhall be Part
of this Bill to declare the Parliament to confift of
two Houfes. 2. That the Bounds and Power of
another Houfe, in relation to the former Vote, (hall
be taken into Confideration, the firft Bufinefs, on
the 22d Inftant.
Feb. 21. According to an Order of this Houfe,
Mr. Secretary Thurloe made a Narrative, and gave
the Houfe an Account of the State of the War, and
of the Affairs of the Kings of Sweden and Denmark,
in relation to the Baltic Sea and to the Command
of the Sound; and how far, and in what Manner,
as well his late Highnefs the Lord Protector, de-
ceafed, and alfo his now Highnefs the Lord Pro-
tector,
Of E N G L A N D. 291
tedtor, had feverally intercfted thcmfelvcs in their
refpeclive Differences by way of Mediation. He
farther gave the Houfe an Account of the Shipping
and Forces of the States General of the United Pro- February-
vinces, now in the Sound \ and what further Prepa-
rations, as is informed, they are now making: And
that his now Highnefs, and his Council, had di-
rected fuch Shipping and Forces to be prepared here,
as, he apprehends, may be for the Security of this
Commonwealth, in thefe Times of fo great Action.'
The next Day, Feb. 22, the Houfe went into a
Debate, according to Order, of the Bounds and
Power of another Houfe, and continued in it all that
Day, without coming to any other Refolution, than
to order the Debate to be adjourned to the 24th.
Feb. 23. A Petition having been prefented to the
Houfe, two Days before, from George Duke of
Buckingham^ then Prifoner in Windfor-Callle^ pray-
ing an Enlargement; and, this Day, the Houfe be-
ing informed that, in purfuance of the Order of this
Houfe of Monday laft, the Duke of Buckingham
attended, to make his Engagement to this Houfe ;
he was called in, and was brought to the Bar by
the Serjeant at Arms, (landing by him without the
Bar; and by his Keeper, a Servant to the Governor
of IVindfcr-Caftle, coming with him into the Houfe.
4 Mr. Speaker acquainted the Duke, That a Peti-
tion having been delivered from him to this Houfe on
Monday laft, by aPerfon of Honour, one of the Mem-
bers thereof, and nearly related to him j the Houfe
had taken into a due Confideration the Duke's De-
meritSy which had been very great to this Common-
wealth ; but had over balanced them with the high
Merit of his Relations ; and, of their Goodnefs,
had ordered, That, upon his own Engagement upoi:
his Honour, and of the Lord Fairfax in 2O,ooo/.
that he mould not abet any the Enemies of this
Commonwealth, either at home or abroad , he
(hould have his Enlargement j which Engagement
they now expected from him.
T > - The
292 The Parti amc?itary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. 4 The Duke, ftanding at the Bar, faid, He ac-
counted it his great Happinefs to come before this
Aflembly ; and that, in purfuance, and according
to the Order of this Houfe, he did now here engage
himfelf to this Houfe, upon his Honour, to demean
himfelf peaceably and quietly, and not to join with,
or abet, or have any Correfpondence with, any the
Enemies of this Commonwealth, either at home or
abroad, for the future: And, further, gave the
Houfe his moft humble Thanks for their high Fa-
vour towards him ; and profeffed, he fhould be
ready to lay down his Life and Fortune for their
Service.
' After the Duke's Engagement, made as before,
he was commanded to withdraw j and withdrew
accordingly.
« Refolved, &c. That George Duke of Bucking-
ham^ upon this his Engagement upon his Honour,
made to this Houfe this Day at the Bar, be forth-
with freed and difcharged from the Imprifonment
and Reftraint he is now under.'
The Debate on Secretary Tbur/oe's Report, on
the State of foreign Affairs, was entered into, and
this Refolution made upon it, * That a very confi-
derable Navy be forthwith provided and put to Sea,
for the Safety of this Commonwealth, and the Pre-
fervation of the Trade and Commerce thereof.'
The further Debate of this adjourned to the next
Morning.
The next Day, Feb. 24, it was again entered
into, but referred to the Afternoon of the fame Day;
when, after aDivifion of 177 againft 119, Whether
Candles or no Candles I the main Queftion was
put, after another Divifion of 176 againft 98, and
carried, That it be referred to his Highnefs the
Lord Protector to put the Vote of this Houfe, con-
cerning the preparing and putting to Sea a confider-
able Navy, for the Safety of this Commonwealth,
and the Prefervation of the Trade and Commerce
thereof, in Execution ; faying the Jntereft of this
Houfe
Of E N G L A N D. 293
Houfe in the Militia, and in making Peace and Interregnum.
War. Ordered, alfo, 4 That Mr. Secretary Thurloe
be defired to carry this Vote to his Highnefs.'
The two lafl Days of this Month were again
employed in debating the Power and Bounds of the
Other Houfe, without coming to any Refolution, hut
to adjourn it to the Day following; and there being
nothing elfe to be met with in the Journals, (except
we mention that the Houfe releafed two Prifoners,
Mr. Robert Overton and Mr.Jo/mPortfmany com-
mitted by the late Prote&or, one to the Ifland of
"Jerfey, and the other to the Tower, and voted their
Imprifonments illegal and unjuft) we fliall conclude
the Affairs of this Month.
March i. The Bufmefs relating to the Other
Houfe was again entered into; and, after fomc
Time fpent therein, a Queftion was propounded,
Whether it (hould be the Matter of Debate on the
next Morning, that this Houfe will tranfa£t with
the Perfons now fitting in the Other Houfe, as an
Houfe of Parliament? the Houfe divided, and it
was carried in the Affirmative, by 177 againft 113.
The Houfe continued in this Debate every Day
they fat, to the 8th Inftant j when a further Que-
ftion was propofed, by way of Addition to the other,
viz. ' And that it is not hereby intended to exclude
fuch Peers as have been faithful to the -Parliament,
from their Privilege of being duly fummoned to be
Members of that Houfe;' another Divifionhappen'd
on this, and was carried, affirmatively, by 195
againft 188 j the greateft Number, and the neareit
Divifion, we have yet met with in this Parliament..
Immediately after Prayers the next Day, March 9,
Mr. Speaker, being in the Chair, and very much
indifpofed in his Health, acquainted the Houfe,
That he came to the Chair with a great Defire to
ferve the Houfe ; but their Sittings had been fo
extraordinary, and their Bufmefs fuch, and fo
T 3 requiring
294 ttff Parliamentary HISTORY
Interregnum, requiring it, that he was utterly difabled to ferve
1658. them, as he would, for the prefent : That it was a
C^'--vp~ *J great Grief of Mind to him to retard the Public
Ma;c . Bufinefs, though but for one Half Hour, or more,
as it had been this Morning : That he found him-
felf grow weaker and weaker, and therefore humbly
prayed he might be totally difcharged ; or otherwife
that he might have fo much Refpite, at lead, granted
to him, as that, by the Bleffing of God, he might
recover fome better Meafure of Health, and be
enabled to return again to their Service : Where-
upon, by the Leave of the Houfe, he left the
Chair, and went home to his own Houfe ; and the
, Serjeant attended him, with the Mace, out of the
Houfe, to his Coach ; and afterwards brought the
Mace back, and placed it below, under the Table,
The Members of the Houfe, fitting in their
Places, confidering of appointing another of their
Members to take the Chair, and fupply the Speaker's
Place during his Abfence, by reafon of his Indifpo-
fition of Health ; and Sir LiJIebone Long, Knt.
Recorder of London, being firft named, by the
general Confent of the Houfe was called, and
brought to the Chair by Sir Walter St. John and
Mr. Francis Gerard-, and being there placed, and
let in the Chair, and the Mace placed on the Table
by the Serjeant, as is ufual, it was ordered, * That,
in refpect of Mr. Speaker's prefent Indifpofition of
Body, and at his earneft Requeft, Sir Lijlelone Long
be defired to fupply the Speaker's Place during his
Abfence, occafioned by his prefent Indifpofition of
Health, and no longer.'
In the Interval of the other Debate, another Caufe
came on to be tried, concerning the Sitting of the
Members, return'd for Scotland, in the Houfe. It was
begun on this Day, March 10, and continued to the
2 1 ft, without coming to any conclufive Refolution,
or any Divifion, except one or two about Candles or
no Candles ; but, on the Day laft mentioned, a Que -
(lion was propofed, That the Members, return'd to
ferve for Scotland, fhould continue to fit as Members
duringr
Of E N G L A N D. 295
during the prefent Parliament; and the Queftion Inter-rcgnum.
being put, That this Queftion be now put, the ^^
Houle divided, and it was carried in the Affirmative, Mitch
2ii againft 120 ; fo, the main Queftion being put,
the Houfe divided again ; but the Yeas, going forth,
i r 11 VT • The Scots Mciti-
appeared fo numerous, that the Noes gave it up, bcrs vote(j to fa
and the Scots were allowed to fit and vote duringia the Houfe,
this prefent Parliament.
But, whilft this Affair was debating in the Houfe,
two Things happened befide worth Notice ; the
tirft was, That their Speaker, Mr. Chute, continu-
ing ftill fo indifpofed that he was unable to ferve,
the Houfe fent a Deputation a of their Members to
viflt him ; which, Mr. IVhitlocke fays, was a very
¥eat Honour to him. The Anfwer return'd was,
hat Mr. Chute was ftill fo infirm, that he could
not attend the Serving of the Houfe ; and Sir Lijle-
bone Long b, who was chofen to execute the Office
for him, being actually dead, the Houfe was obliged
to go to another Election, when Thomai Bampfield,
Efq; was unanimoufly agreed upon to fucceed him;
and Chaliner Chute^ Efq; dying alfo foon after, the
other continued Speaker to the End of this Parlia-
ment.
We have before (lightly mentioned the Releafe-
ment of Mr. Robert Overton^ committed Prifoner
to the Ifland of Jerfey, by Warrant from the late
Lord Protector : But the Houfe did not only vote
his Difcharge, but ordered him to be brought up
from thence to their Bar, and the Deputy Governor
with him. Accordingly, on the i6th Inftant, they
both appeared before the Houfe ; when the Speaker
afked him by what Authority he detained Major-
General Ovcrton his Prifoner ? He anfwered, It was
by Warrant from his late Highnefs. Being com-
manded to produce the Warrant, he did fo, and it
was delivered to the Speaker. Then the Major-
General being afked if he had any thing to fay con-
cerning his Imprifonment, anfwered, ' That he did
acknowledge;
a The Lord Fairfax, Slr.Jnttorj Ajhlcy Cooftr, Dr. Batburft,
and Mr. Wea-vtr.
i> Mr. fVbithcke call* this Man a very fober difcreet Gentleman^
and a good Lawyer,
296 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. acknowledge it the great Mercy of God, that, after
l659« t four Years Imprifonment, he was now brought to
*•— "M~*7 this Bar : That, as he had been in a fuffering Con-
dition for four Years, fo he defired to be paflive ftill :
And that, when any Charge (hall be brought in
againft him, he hopes he fball give fuch Anfwer to
it as fhall fatisfy, and clear him from any former
Miftakes and Mifapprehenfions concerning him :
That he hoped he had not done any thing contrary
to what he had at firft engaged and fought for :
That he defires not to live or die, but by the diftri-
butive Juftice of this Houfe : And tho' he knows
nothing by himfelf, and that he hopes he hath done
nothing worthy of Death, or of Bonds, yet he will
not juftify himfelf ; but moft humbly leaves himfelf,
his Caufe, and his Condition, to this Houfe.' And
then, by the Command of the Houfe, the Deputy-
Governor and Major- General Overton withdrew >
the Houfe ordering him to be difcharged without
paying any Fees.
We chofe to give this whole Affair, at Length,,
from the Authority of the Journals, to fhew the
arbitrary Proceedings of the late upftart Tyrant,
over thofe that he but barely fufpe&ed to have any ill
Defign againft him.
March 23. The Houfe was now emplqyed, for
two or three Days, in hearing Reports from their
Committee, and regulating of Elections. The next
Thing they went upon was to try the Merits of the
As arc the/7//^./r/^>, in regard to the Ria;ht to fit in the Houfe:
But this was ended the very Day it was begun ; for,
after fome Debate, the Queftion being called for,
it was carried for their Sitting, 156 againft 106.
This Day, March 28, the Houfe refumed the
Debate on the Queftion of tran fading with the Per-
fons now fitting in the Other Houfe, and the Addi-
tions to that Queftion. This Debate lafted the
whole Day, and two Divifions of the Houfe were
made before the main Queftion was put ; one was,
That, after the Word Parliament, thefe Words,
when
Of ENGLAND. 297
tvhen they /hall be approved by this Houfe > might be Inter-regnumf
added; which was carried negatively, 183 to 146. . j_5^ ^
Another Queftion was to alter the Word approved ^M«ch.
to bounden ; but this went alib in the Negative, with-
out a Divifion. Then the Houfe being informed
that divers of the Members, who had attended
the Debate on the main Queftion, were in the
Speaker's Chamber, the Serjeant was commanded
to call them down ; and a Queftion was put, To
adjourn the Debate for an Hour; which, on another
Divifion, 169 againft 89, was rejected. After this
one more Queftion was put, which was, That,
after the Word Parliament in the main Queftion,
during this prefent Parliament ftiould be added, it
went in the Affirmative. Then the main Queftion The Bill for
being at laft put, the Houfe divided upon it; when tranfafting Ba-
it was carried for the Queftion, 198 to 125 : So itj.n«ft "ith th«
was refolved, ^Y. < That this Houfe will tranfaa"
•with the Perfons now fitting in the Other Houfe,
as an Houfe of Parliament, during this prefent Par-
liament j and that it is not hereby intended to
exclude fuch Peers, as have been faithful to the
Parliament, from their Privilege of being duly
fummoned to be Members of that Houfe.'
But before we difmifs this Affair, in which the
true Republican Party were the greateft Sticklers
againft recognizing the Other Houfe, we think it
not amifs to give our Readers a Speech, faid to be
ipoken on the fame Occafion. We do not warrant
the Authenticknefs of it, for we think it too bold
for the Time; but that it is as old, is clear from all
Appearances. We fhall therefore give it a Place
here, without any further Ceremony. c
Mr. Speaker,
' rTlHIS Day's Debate is but too clear a Proof A Speech againft
1 that we Rnzlijhmen are right Wanders, va- t
riable and mutable like the Air we live in : For, Sir,
if that were not our Temper, we (hould not be now
difputing,
c The Title of this Pamphlet, is, A feafonable Speech, made by a
•worthy Member of P&rliament in the Houfe of Ctmmstit, nr.cermng
•the Other Hovf;, March 1659.
298 The Parliamentary HISTORY
tnter-regnum. difputing, whether, after all thofe Hazards we have
™n, that Blood we have fpilt, that Treafnre we have
exhaufted, we mould not now fit down juft where
we did begin > and, of our own Accords, fubmit our-
felves to that Slavery, which we have not only ven-
tured our Eftates and Lives, but, I wifh I could not
fay, our Souls and Confciences, to throw off. What
others, Sir, think of this Levity, I cannot tell ; I
mean thofe that fleer their Confciences by Occafions,
and cannot lofe the Honour they never had : But,
truly, Sir, for my own Part, I dare as little not declare
it to be my Opinion, as others, more prudential, dare
avow it to be theirs, that we are this Day making
good all the Reproaches of our Enemies, owning of
ourfelves Oppreflbrs, Murderers, Regicides, Sub-
verters of that which now we do not only acknow-
ledge to have been a lawful Government; but, by
recalling it, confefs it now to be the beft : Which,
Sir, if it be true, and that we now begin to fee aright,
I heartily wifh our Eyes had been fooner open ; and,
for Three Nations Sake, that we had purchafed our
Conviction at a cheaper Rate. We might, Sir, in
1642, have been what we thus contend to be in
1659; anc^ our Confciences have had much lefs to
anfwer for to God, and our Reputations to the
World.
' But, Mr. Speaker, I wifh, with all my Soul, I
did ftate our Cafe to you amifs ; and that it were
the Queftion only, Whether we would voluntarily
relapfe into the Difeafe we were formerly poffefied
with, and, of our own Accords, take up our old
Yoke, that we, with Wearing and Cuftom, had
made habitual and eafy > and which, it may be, it
was more our Wantonnefs than our PrefTure, that
made us throw off. But this, Sir, is not now the
Queftion ; that which we deliberate, is not, Whe-
ther we will fay we do not care to be free, we like
our old Matters, and will now be content to have
our Ears bored at the Door-Pofts of their Houfe,
and fo ferve them for ever : But, Sir, as if we were
contending for Shame as well as Servitude, we are
carryir.
Of ENGLAND. 299
carrying our Ears to be bored at the Doors of ano- Inter-r«gnum.
ther Houfc ; u Houfc, Sir, without Name, and there- l65j?
tore it is but congruous it fliould coniift of Members *""»?* T
without Family j a Houfe that inverts the Order of
Slavery, and fubjects it to our Servants ; and yet,
in Contradiction to Scripture, we do not only not
think that Subjection intolerable, but are now plead-
ing for it. In a Word, Sir, it is a Houfe of fo in-
congruous and odious a Compofition and Mixture,
that certainly the grand Architect would never have
fo framed it, had it not been his Dciign as well to
fhew the World the Contempt he had of us, as to
demonftrate the Power he had over us.
* Sir, that it may appear that I intend not to be
fo prudent, as far as my Part is concerned, as to
make a voluntary Refignation of my Liberty and
Honour to this excellent Part of his late Highnefs's
Laft Will and Teftament, I (hall crave, Sir, the
Leave to declare, in a few Particulars, my Opi-
nion of this Other Houfe ; wherein I cannot but
promife myfelf to be favourably heard by fome, but
patiently heard by all : For thofe Englishmen that
are againft this Houfe will certainly, with Content,
hear the Reafons why others are fo too ; thofe
Courtiers, that arc for it, give me Evidence enough
to think that there is nothing in Nature which
they cannot willingly endure.
4 Firft, Sir, As to the Author and Framcr of this
Houfc of Peers : Let me put you in Mind, it was
he, that, with reiterated Oaths, had often fworn to
be true and faithful to the Government without it ;
and not only fworn fo himfelf, but had been the
chief Inftrument both to draw and compel others to
fwear fo too. So, Sir, that the Foundation of this
noble Fabric was laid in Perjury, and was begun
with the Violation and Contempt, as well of the
Laws of God as of the Nation. He, Sir, that cal-
led Monarchy Anticbrtftian in another, and, indeed,
made it fo in himfelf: He that voted a Houfe of
Lords dangerous and unneceflary, and too truly
made it fo in his Partifans : He that, with Fraud
and Force, deprived you of your Liberty when he
was
3 oo The Parliamentary HISTORY
Uiter-regnum. was living, and entailed Slavery upon you at his
l6S9- Death ; 'tis he, Sir, that hath left you thefe worthy
*~j~^~> Overfeers of that his Laft Will and Teftamait ;
who, however they have behaved themfelves in
other Trufts, we may be confident they will en-
deavour faithfully to difcharge themfelves in this. In
a Word, Sir, had this Other Houfe no other Fault
but its Inftitution and Author, I mould think that
original Sin enough for its Condemnation : For I am
of "their Opinion that think that, for the Good of
Example, all A&s and Monuments of Tyrants are
to be expunged and erafed, that, if poflible, their
Memory might be no longer liv'd than their Car-
caffes. And the Truth is, their good Laws are of
the Number of their Snares, and but bafe Brokage
for our Liberty.
' But, Sir, to impute to this Other Houfe no other
Faults but its own, you may pleafe, in the firft
Place, to confider of the Power which his Highnefs
hath left it, according to that Humble Petition and
Advice, which he was pleafed to give Order to the
Parliament to prefent unto him. For, Sir, as the
Romans had Kings, fo had his Highnefs Parliaments
amongft his Inftruments of Slavery : And I hope,
Sir, it will be no Offence for me to pray that his
Son may not have them fo too. But, Sir, they
have a Negative Voice, and all other Circumftances
of that Arbitrary Power, which made the former
Houfe intolerable ; only the Dignity and Quality of
the Perfons themfelves is wanting, that our Slavery
may be accompanied with Ignominy and Affront.
And now, Mr. Speaker, have we not glorioufly
vindicated the Nation's Liberty ? Have we not
worthily employed our Blood and Treafure to abo-
lifli that Power that was fet over us by the Law, to
have the fame impofed upon us without a Law ?
And after all that Sound and Noife we have made
in the World, of the People's Legiflative Power,
and of the Supremacy and Omnipotency of their
Reprefentatives ; we now fee there is no more
Power left them, but what is put in the Balance,
suid equalled by the Power of a, few Retainers of
Tyranny,
Of E N G L A N D. 301
Tyranny, who are fo far from being of the People's
Choice, that the moft Part of them are only known
to the Nation by the VilJanies and Mifchiefs they
have committed in it. March.
' In the next Place, Sir, you may pleafe to con-
fider, that the Perfons inverted with this Power are
all of them nominated and defigned by the Lord
Protestor; for to fay by him and his Council hath,
in Effect, no more Diftinclion, than if one fhould
fay, by Oliver and Cromwell. By this Means the
Protector himfelf, by his own and his Peers Nega-
tive, becomes, in Effect, two of the three Eftates ;
and, by Confequence, is poffefied of two Parts of
the Legiflative Power. I think this can be a Doubt
to no Man, that will but take the Pains to read
over that fair Catalogue of thofe Noble Lords : For
certainly no Man that reads their Names, can pofli-
bly fancy for what other Virtues or good Qualities
luch a Compofition fhould be made Choice of, but
only the Certainty of their Compliance with what-
foever Ihould be enjoyned them by their Creator :
Pardon, Sir, that Name, for 'tis properly applica-
ble where Things are made of nothing. Now, Sir,
if, in the former Government, Increafe of Nobility
was a Grievance, becaufe the new Nobility, having
frefh Obligation to the Crown, were the eafier lead
to Compliance with it : And if one of the main
Reafons for Exclufion of the Bifhops out of the
Houfe of Lords, was becaufe that they, being of the
King's making, were, in Effect, fo many certain
Votes for whatever the King had a Mind to carry
in that Houfe : How much more affured will that
Inconvenience now be, when the Protector, that
wants nothing of the King, but, in every Senfe, the
Title, (hall not only make and nominate a Parf.
but, of himfelf, conftitute the whole Houfe ? In a
Word, Sir, if our Liberty was endangered by the
former Houfe, we may give it up for loft in the;
Other Houfe. And 'tis, in all Refpedts, as advan-
tageous and fecure for the Liberty of the Nation,
which we come hither to redeem, to allow this
Power and Notion to his Highnefs's Officers, or
Council,
302 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. Council, nay, his very Chaplains, as to his other
*659- Creatures and Partifans in his Other Houfe.
v~irNr""~; ' Now, having confiderecl, Sir, their Author*
'rc ' Power, and ConlHtution, give me Leave to make
fome few Obfervations, though but in general, of
the Perfons themfelves that are defigned to be our
Lords and Mailers, and let us ice what either the
extraordinary Quality or Qualifications are of thefe
egregious Legiflators, which may juftify their Choice,
and prevail with the People to admit them, at leaft,
into equal Authority with the whole Reprefentative
Body of themfelves. But what I {hall fpeak, Sirj
of their Quality, or any thing elfe concerning them,
I would be thought to fpeak with Diftinclion, and
to intend only of the Major Part ; for I acknow-
ledge, Mr. Speaker, the Mixture of this Other
Hou»re to be like the Compofitions of Apothecaries,
who are ufed to mix fomething of Relifh, fome-
thing grateful to the Tafte, to qualify their bitter
Drugs, which elfe, perchance, would be immedi-
ately fpit out, and never fwallowed. So, Sir, his
Highnefs, of deplorable Memory to this Nation,
to countenance as well the "Want of Quality as
Honefty in the reft, hath nominated fome, againft
whom there lies no other Reproach, but only that
Nomination ; but not, Sir, out of any Refpe<5t to
their Qualities, or Regard to their Virtues, but with
regard to the No-quality, to the No-virtues of the
reft : Which, truly, Mr. Speaker, if he had not
done, we could eafily have given a more exprefs
Name to his Other Houfe, than he hath been plea-
led to do : For we know a Houfe defigned only for
Beggars and Malefactors, is a Houfe of Correction,
and termed fo by your Law.
' But, Mr. Speaker, fetting thofe few Perfons
tfide, who I hope think the Nomination a Difgrace,
and the ever coming to fit there a much greater ;
can we, without Indignation, think on the reft ?
He that is firft in their Roll, a condemned Coward ;
one that, out of Fear and Bafenefs, did once what
he could to betray your Liberties, and does now the
fame for Gain. The fecond, a Perfon gf as little
Senfe
Of E N G L A N D. 303
Scnfe as Honefty, preferred for no other Reafon but Inter-reg num.
his No-worth, his No-confcience ; except that his
cheating his Father of all he had was thought a Vir-
tue by him, who, by fad Experience we rind, hath
done as much for his Mother, his Country. The
third, a Cavalier, a Prefbyterian, an Independent; for
a Republic, for a Prote&or, for every thing, for no-
thing, but only that one thing, Money. 'Twerc
endlefs to run through them all, to tell you, Sir, of
their Lordfhips of feventeen Pound Land a Year of
Inheritance ; of their Farmer Lordfhips, Draymen
Lordfhips, Cobler Lordfhips, without one Foot of
Land, but what the Blood oiEnglifimtn hath been
the Price of. Thefe, Sir, are to be our Rulers,
thefe the Judges of our Lives and Fortunes j to thefe
we are to ftand bare, whilft their pageant Stage.
Lordfhips deign to give us a Conference upon their
Breeches. Mr. Speaker, we have already had too
much Experience, how unfupportable Servants are,
when they become our Mafters. All Kind of Slave-
ry is Mifery in the Account of all generous Minds \
but that which comes accompanied with Scorn and
Contempt, ftirs every Man's Indignation, and is
endured by none, whom Nature does not intend fo^
Slaves, as well as Fortune.
' I fay not this, Mr. Speaker, to revile any Man
with his Meannefs ; for I never thought either the
Malignity or Indulgence of Fortune, to- be (with
wife or juft Men) the Grounds either of their ill or
their eood Opinion. Mr. Speaker, I blame not in
thefe Men the Faults of their Fortune, any other-
wife but as they make them their own : I object to
you their Poverty, becaufe it is accompanied with
Ambition ; I remind you of their Quality, becaufe
they themfelves forget it. So that it is not the Men
I am angry with, but with their Lordfhips ; not
with Mr. Barkjlead^ or Mr. Coaler ', (Tides I could
well allow him) but with, The Right Honourable,
our fmgular good Lord and Goaler. 'Tis this In-
congruity, Mr. Speaker, lam difpleafed with.
' So, Sir, that tho' we eafily grant Poverty and
Neceflity to be no Faults, yet we muft allow them
to
304 The Parliamentary HISTORV
to be great Impediments in the Way of Honour,
and fuch as nothing but extraordinary Virtue and
Merit can well remove. The Scripture reckons it
among "Jeroboam's great Faults, that be made Priefls
of the meaneft of the People : And fure it was none
of the Virtues of our "Jeroboam (who hath fet up
his Calves too, and would have our Tribes come
up and worfhip them) that he obferved the fame
Method in making of Lords.
* One of the few Requefts the Portitguefe made
to Philip the Second of Spain, when he got that
Kingdom (as his late Highnefs did this) by an Ar-
my, was, That he would not make Nobility con-
temptible, by advancing fuch to that Degree, whofe
Quality or Virtue could be no way thought to de-
ferve it. Nor have we formerly been lefs appre-
henfive of fuch Inconveniences ourfelves : It was,
in Richard the Firft's Time, one of the Bilhop of
.£Yv's Accufations, That Caflies and Forts of Truft
he did, obfcuris 6' ignotis Hominibns trader e> put
into the Hands of obfcure and unknown Men. But
we, Mr. Speaker, to fuch a Kind of Men are deli-
vering up the Power of our Laws, and, in that, the
Power of all.
< In the iyth of Edward IV. there parted an Adi:
of Parliament, for the degrading of John Nevil9
Marquis Montague, and Duke qf Bedford: The
Reafon exprefs'd in the Act, * Becaufe he had not a
' Revenue fufficient for the maintaining of that
' Dignity.' To which is added, ' That when Men
' of mean Birth are called to high Eftate, and have
* no Livelihood to fupport it, it induceth Bribery,
' Extortions, and all Kinds of Injuftices that are fol-
' lowed by Gain.' And in the Parliament of 2 Ca-
rol, the Peers, in a Petition againft Scots and Irijh
Titles, told the King, ' That 'tis a -Novelty with-
* out Prefident, that Men fhould poffefs Honours
' where they pofTefs nothing elfe; and that they
c fhould have a Vote in Parliament, where they
' have not a Foot of Land.' But if it had been added,
Sir, Or have no Land but what is the Purchafe of
their Villanies, ^ajnft how many of our new Peers
had
Of E N G L A N D, 305
had this been an important Objection ? To con- Inter-regnum.
elude, Sir, it hath been a very juft and reafonable l659-
Care, amongft all Nations, not to render that de- *~ "T^^T**
fpifcd and contemptible to the People, which is dc-
figncd for their Reverence and their Awe; which,
Sir, bare and empty Title, without Quality or Vir-
tue, never procured any Man, any more than the
Image in the Fable made the Afs adored that car-
ried it.
' After their Quality, give me Leave, Sir, to
fpeak a Word or two of their Qualifications ; which
certainly ought, in Reafon, to carry fome Propor-
tion with the Employments they defign themfelves.
The Houfe of Lords, Sir, are our Kings Here-
ditary great Councils ; they are the higheft Court of
Judicature ; they have their Part in judging and de-
termining of the Reafons of making new Laws, and
of abrogating old : From amongft them we take our
great Officers of State j they are commonly cur
Generals at Land, and our Admirals at Sea. In
Conclufion, Sir, they are both of the Eflence and
Constitution of our old Government; and have, be-
fides, the greateft and nobleft Share in the Admini-
ftration. Now certainly, Sir, to judge according
to the Dictates of Reafon, one would imagine fome
i'mall Faculties and Endowments to be neceflary for
the difcharging of fuch a Calling; and -thofe fuch
as are not ufually acquired in Shops and Warehoufes,
nor found by following the Plough. Now, what
other Academies moft of their Lordftiips have been
bred in, but their Shops ; what other Arts they
have been verfed in, but thofe which more require
£ood Arms and good Shoulders than good Heads,
1 think, Mr. Speaker, we are yet to be informed.
Sir, we commit not the Education of our Children
to ignorant and illiterate Mafters ; nay, we trulfc
not our very Horfes to unfkilful Grooms. I be-
feech you, Sir, let us think it belongs to us to have
fome Care into.whofe Hands we commit the Ma-
nagement of the Commonwealth ; and if we cannot
have Perfons of Birth and Fortune to be our li ,
to whofe Quality \vc would willincrl'.' fubrr.it, I
VOL. XXI. U
306 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
befeech you, Sir, for our Credit and Safety's Sake,
l659- let us feek Men, at leaft, of Parts and Education,
"r"v7""'* to whofe Abilities we may have feme Reaion to
give Way. If, Sir, a Patient dies under a Phy-
fician's Hand, the Law efteems that not a Fe-
lony, but a Misfortune in the Phyfician ; but if
one that is no Phyfician undertakes the Manage-
ment of a Cure, and the Party mifcarries, the Law
makes the Empiric a Felon ; and fure, in all Men's
Opinion, the Patient a Fool. To conclude, Sir,
for great Men to govern, it is ordinary ; for able
Men, it is natural ; Knaves many Times come to
it by Force and Neceflity, and Fools fometimes by
Chance ; but univerfal Choice and Election of Fools
and Knaves for Government, was never yet made by
any who were not themfelves like thofe they chofe.
« But methinks, Mr. Speaker, I fee, ready to rife
after me, fome Gentleman that (hall tell you the
great Services that their New Lordfhips have done
the Commonwealth ; that fhall extol their Valour,
their Godlinefs, their Fidelity to the Caufe : The
Scripture too, no doubt, as it is to all Purpofes,
fhall be brought in to argue for them j and we (hall
hear of the Wifdom of the poor Man that faved tie
City, of the not many wife, not many mighty : Attri-
butes I can no way deny to be due to their Lord-
fhips. Mr*. Speaker, I fhall be as forward as any
Man to declare their Services, and acknowldge
them ; tho' I might tell you, that the fame Honour
is not purchafed by the Blood of an Enemy, and of
a Citizen ; that for Victories in Civil Wars, till
our Armies marched through the City, I have not
read that the Conquerors have been fo void of
Shame as to triumph. Ctsfar? not much more in-
dulgent to his Country than our late Protector, did
not fo much as write public Letters of his Victory
at Pbarfalia^ much lefs had Days of Thankfgiving
to his Gods, and Anniverfary Feafts for having
been a profperous Rebel, and given Juftice and his
Country the worft.
* But, Sir, I leave this Argument, and, to be as
good as my Word, corne to put you in Mind of
fome
Of E N C L A N D. 307
fome of their Services, and the Obligation you owe Inter- regnum.
them for the fame. To fpeak nothing, Sir, of one j659-
of my Lords Commiffioners Valour at Bri^cl, nor of ^'TT^T^
another Noble Lord's brave Adventure at the Bear-
Gardcn ; I muft tell you, Sir, that moft of them
have had the Courage to do Things, which, I may
boldly fay, few other Chriftians durft have fo ad-
ventured their Souls to have attempted : They have
not only fubdued their Enemies, but their Mailers
that railed and maintained them ; they have not
only conquered Scotland and Ireland, but rebellious
England too; and there fupprefs'd a malignant Party
of Magiftrates and Laws. And that nothing fhould
be wanting to make them indeed com pi eat Conque-
rors, (without the Help of Philofophy) they have
even conquered themfelves. All Shame they have
fubdued, as perfectly as all Jultice ; the Oaths they
have taken, they have as eafily digefted as their
old General could himfelf ; public Covenants and
Engagements they have trampled Under-foot: In
Conclufion, fo intire a Victory they have over
themfelves, that their Confciences are as much their
Servants as, Mr. Speaker, we are. But, Sir, give
me Leave to conclude with that which is more
admirable than all this, and {hews the Confidence
they have of themfelves and us : After having many
Times trampled on the Authority of the Houfe of
Commons, and no lefs than five Times diilblved
them, they hope, for thofe good Services to the
Houfe of Commons, to be made by the Houfe of
Commons a Houfe of Lords.
' I have been over long, Sir, for which I crave
your Pardon ; therefore in a Word I conclude. I
bcfecch you let us think it our Duty to have a Care
of two Things : Flrjl, That Villanies be not encou-
raged with the Rewards of Virtue : Secondly, That
the Authority and Majefty of the Government of
this Nation be not defiled, and expofcd to Con-
tempt, by committing fo confiderablc a Part of it to
Pcrfons of as mean Quality as Parts.
4 The Tbebans did not admit Merchants into Go-
vernment, till they had left their Traffic ten Years :
U ? ' SIM •
308 *The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. Sure it would have been long before Coblers and
1659. Draymen would have been allowed. If, Sir, the
*— -v~— ' Wifdom of this Houfe {hall find it necefiary to be-
March. gin where we left, and {hall think we have been
hitherto like the Prodigal, and that now when our
Neceflities perfuade us, /. e. that we are almoft
brought to herd it with Swine, now 'tis high Time
to think of a Return : Let us, without more ado,
without this motley Mixture, even take our Rulers
as at the firft, fo that we can be but reafonably fe-
cured to avoid our Counfellors as at the Beginning.
4 Give me Leave, Sir, to releafe your Patience
with a fliort Story. Livy tells us, there was a State in
Italy in an Ariftocracy, where the Nobility ftretch'd
their Prerogative too high, and prefumed a little
too much on the People's Liberty and Patience ;
whereupon the Discontents were fo general and fo
great, that they apparently tended to a DiiTolution
of Government, and the turning of all Things into
Anarchy and Confufion. At the fame Time, be-
fides thefe Diftempers at home, there was a potent
Enemy ready to fall upon them from abroad, that
had been an Over- match for them at their beft
Union ; but now, in thefe Diforders, was like to find
them a very ready and very eafy Prey : A wife Man,
Sir, in the City, that did not at all approve of the
Infolency of the Nobility, and as little liked popu-
lar Tumults, bethought himfelf of this Stratagem,
to couzen his Country into Safety : Upon a Pre-
tence of Counfel, he procured the Nobility to meet
all together; which when they had done, he found
a Way to lock all the Doors upon them, goes away
himfelf, and takes the Keys with him : Then im-
mediately he fummons the People ; tells them, that,
by a Contrivance of his, he had taken all the Nobi-
lity in a Trap ; that now was the Time for them to
be revenged upon them for all their fnfolencies ; that
therefore they mould immediately go along with
him and difpatch them. Sir, the Officers of our
Army, after a Faft, could not be more ready for the
Villany, than this People were : And accordingly
they made as much Hafte to the Slaughter as their
LonJ
Of E N G L A N D. 309
Lord Protector could defire them. But, Sir, this interregnum.
wife Man I told you of, was their Lord Protestor 1659.
indeed : As foon as he had brought the People where V»* •%"••• «J
the Parliament was fitting, and when they but ex- March,
peeled the Word to fall to the Butchery, and take
their Heads, * Gentlemen, fays he, tho' I would
' not care how foon this Work of Reformation were
* over, yet, in this Ship of the Commonwealth, we
' muft not throw the Steers -men over board, till we
* have provided others for the Helm : Let us confi-
' der before we take thefe Men away, in what other
' Hands we may more fccurely truft our Liberty,
* and the Management of the Commonwealth.'
And fo he advifed them, before the putting down of
the former, to bethink themfelvcs of conftituting an
Other Houfe. He begins and nominates one, a
Man highly cried up in the popular Fadion, a con-
fiding Man, one of much Zeal, little Senfe, and no
Quality j you may fuppofe him, Sir, a zealous
Cobler. The People, in Conclufion, murmured
at this, and were loth their Fellow- Mutineer, for
no other Virtue but Mutinying, fhould come to be
advanced to be their Matter ; and, by their Looks
and Murmur, fufficiently exprefled the Diftafte they
took at fuch a Motion. Then he nominates ano-
ther, as mean a Mechanic as the former j you may
imagine him, Sir, a buftling rude Drayman, or the
like : He was no fooner named, but fome burft out
a-Jaughing, others grew angry and railed at him,
and all detefted and icorn'd him. Upon this a third
was named for a Lordfhip, one of the fame Batch,
and every way fit to fit with the other two. The
People then fell into a confufed Laugh and Noife,
and inquired, If fuch were Lords, who, by all the
Gods, would be content to be the Commons ?
* Sir, Let me be bold, by the good Leave of the
Other Houfe and yours, to afk the fame Queftion :
But, Sir, to conclude this Story, and with it 1 hope
the Other Houfe ; when this wife Man I told you of
perceived they were now fenfible of the Inconveni-
ence and Mifchicf they were running into, and fa\v
that the pulling down their Rulers would prove, in
U 3 the
310 The Parliamentary HISTORY
the End, but the letting up of their Servants ; he
thought them then prepared to hear Reafon, and
told them, « You fee, faith he, that, as bad as this
' Government is, we cannot, for any thing I fee,
' agree upon a better : What then, if after this
* Fright we have put our Nobility in, and the De-
* monftration we have given them of our Power, we
' try them once more, whether they will mend, and,
' for the future, behave themfelves with more Mo-
* deration ?' That People, Mr. Speaker, were fq
wife as to comply with that wife Proportion, and
to think it eafier to mend their old Rulers, than to
make new : And I wifh, Mr. Speaker, we may be
fo wife as to think fo too.'
Having fifted the Journals to March 28, 1659,
for all they mention material to our Defign, we (hall
look back a little, and endeavour to explain them
further from the Hiftories of the Times.
Mr. Ludlow acquaints us, ' That the next Thing
that they, of the Republican Party, endeavoured to
do, after being worfted in the Affair of Recognition,
was to get rid of the Scots and Irijh Members, whq
had introduced themfelves into the Houfe. Thefe
Men, no doubt, were Time-Servers, and never pro-
pofed to come out of their own to ferve this Coun-
try for nothing; fo, confequently, were due Voters
^nd Penfioners to the Court.* Our Author fays,
* The Way they propofed to have them removed, was
to put the Queftion, firft, Whether thofe Members,
chofen by Scotland ought, by the Law of the Land,
to fit as Members of this Parliament. The Reafons
ufed to juftify the Wording of the Queftion in this
Manner, were, i. That there was no Colour, by
the antient Law of the Land, for their fitting ac
Members of the Parliament of England, having
always been a diftincl: Kingdom from it. 2. That
there had been no Diftribution of Powers to eledt,
as was required by the Humble Petition and Advice.
The Court would by no Means permit the Queftion
to be put in the Manner before-mentioned ; but
moved that it might be thus propofed in the follow-
ing;
Of E N G L A N D. 311
ing Words : Whether the Houfe thought fit that Inter-regmua,
thofe returned for Scotland fhould fit as Members
of this Parliament : By this Means turning a Que-
ftion of Right into a Queftion of Conveniency.
However, bccaufe our Queftion was firft propofed,
we infifted that it might alfo befirft put; and likewife
moved, that thofe fent from Scotland and Ireland^
being the Pcrfons concerned in the Queftion, might
be ordered to withdraw, and not be permitted to fit
Judges of their own Cafe: And this we thought we
might with more Reafon demand, becaufe their
own Party had already waved the Legality of their
Election, by the Form of Words they had ufed in
the Queftion they propofed : But the pretended
Members for Scotland and Ireland, except only
Mr. Swinton, who modeftly withdrew, as they had
debated their own Cafe with much Confidence; fo,
by the Support of the Court, they refolved to decide
it in their own Favour.
' When we faw ourfelves thus overpowered by
Violence and Number, we had the Queftion put for
leaving out the Words, by the Law of the Land-,
which being carried in the Affirmative, and there-
fore to be entered in the 'Journal, we let fall Words
in the Houfe to infmuate that they were not a legal
Parliament, having no Countenance from the Au-
thority by which they acted : And as to their pru-
dential Way of admitting the Scots and Irijh on the
Account of Conveniency, we faid it would weaken
all that (hould be done by this Aflembly, whofe
Actions would be weighed and duly confidcred by
thofe that fhould come into Power when they were
gone : That the Laws of this Aflembly, though it
were granted that they were a legal Parliament,
would not bind the People of Scotland, who are not
governed by the common Law of England, and
therefore that it was unreafonable that thofe chofen
by that Nation {hould have any Part in making
Laws for the People of England; and that it was
intolerable that they, who had fought againft a
Commonwealth, (hould be confulted with in the
framing of our Conftitution, and fo vote us out of
that
312 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jntcr-regmim. that with their Tongues, which they could neverfight
l659- us out of with their Swords. But all our Arguments
*~2£^""J were anfwered by calling for the Queftion, which
they carried by a great Number of Votes, as they
did alfo that for admitting thofe returned for Ireland.
' The Court having overcome thefe Difficulties,
doubted not to obtain the Eftabliftiment of their
Houfe of Lords, which they called the Other Houfe,
and therefore moved for recognizing them alfo.
The Commonwealth's-Men propofed that the Af-
fembly would firft take into their Conlideration the
Powers wherewith the Other Houle ihould be
veiled, before they proceeded to the Recognition of
them, left our qualifying them with the Title of
an Houfe, and our Approbation of the Perfons that
were to fill it, might be a Means to procure them
more Power than otherwife we fhould think fit to
give them : But the Court Party alledged, That the
Other Houfe being already conftitutcd, it was no
jnore in the Power of the Commons to alter their
£ftablifhment, than in the Power of the New Houfe
to make any Change in that of the Commons:
Then we endeavoured to fhew them the Unreafon-
ablenefs of impofing fuch a Houfe upon the Nation,
telling them, that, in antient Times, thofe that came
to Parliament fat there by virtue of the Lands they
poflefled ; and that he who had twenty Fees, each
of twenty Pounds yearly Rent, might demand his
Place in the Houfe as an Earl ; and that whofoever
was poffeffed of thirteen Fees, whereof one third
Part was Military, had a Right to fit in the fame
Houfe as a Baron : That this Method continued
till the greater Barons, finding themfelves over-
voted, withdrew into a diflindt Houfe. But King
Henrylll. having got a Victory againft the Barons,
deprived them of their antient Ufages, and permitted
none of them to come to Parliament without a Writ
of Summons from him. We {hewed them that the
Houfe of Lords antiently confifted of Perfons on
whom the Commons had their Dependence ; and
being, for the moft Part, Retainers to them, were
ploathed in their Liveries : But the Balance being
now
Of E N G L A N D, 313
now altered, and the greateft Part of the Lands of Interregnum,
England devolved upon the Commons, they, inftead * '
of wearing the Lords blue Coats, did now give M^^H,
Wages to moil of thofe who pretended to be Mem-
bers of the Other Houfe. But, notwithftanding all
that could be faid, the Confederacy for them was
ftrong enough to carry all before them, the Cava-
lierifh Party, who were very numerous, joining with
them, in Expectation that it might prove a good
Step towards the Return of the former Peerage : So
the Queftion was put, Whether this Houfe fliould
tranfa& with ths Other Houfe, and carried in the
Affirmative.'
The Author of the Narrative of this Parliament
is yet more explicit than Ludlow, in all the Affairs
which we have already mentioned from the Jour~
nah : We (hall therefore copy him throughout ;
obferving, That both thcfe laft quoted Writers are
no farther to be trufted, than as they tally with
thofe undoubted Authorities, the Journals.
The Narrative begins with telling us, ' That
afterwards the Secretary gave an Account of foreign
Affairs, as is already mentioned, on the 2 lit of Fe-
bruary t acquainting the Houfe, that a Million of Mo-
ney was needful for defraying the Naval Expences
for this Summer; which brought on the Debate con-
cerning the Navy, in behalf of the Public : That
as the Navy is Part of the Militia, and the Militia
the Right of the People aflembled in Parliament; and
that, without the Militia, the Parliament could not
make good their Promifes to the People, in bound-
ing the Power of the Chief Magiftrate, and fecuring
their Rights and Liberties, that the Houfe would
appoint certain Commiflioncrs for Management of
the Naval Forces. The Debate for fetting out a
very confiderable Fleet to Sea, for Defence of the
Commonwealth and Commerce held not long, the
Thing being readily and unanimously agreed on : But
who (hould manage the Fleet, was a Debate of
feveral Days ; and at laft carried with a ftrong
Hand by the Court Party, againft all Reafon and
Policy, that the Protector fliould have the Difpofal
of
Znter»re§num.
1659.
March.
314 The Parliamentary HISTORY
of it ; only the Commonwealth's-Men got into the
Vote, That the making Peace and War fliould be
referved unto the Parliament.
' The Houfe was called upon to make good their
Vote of bounding the Power of the Chief Magiftrate,
and fecuring the Rights, Privileges, and Liberties of
the Parliament and People; and that, as they had
filled the Hearts of all Men with Joy, in Expecta-
tion of having their Rights afcertained, they would
not render themfelves Jugglers, in promifing what
they never intended to perform ; but to take the
feveral Parts of the previous Vote into Confidera-
tion ; and as bounding the Chief Magiftrate is firft
in Order, fo to begin with it. Yet fuch was the
Difingenuity of the Court Party, being made up of
Houfhold Servants, Officers of Profit, Suiters for
Offices, Lawyers, (the corrupt Part of whofe Trade
cannot be maintain'd but by a corrupt Government)
Scots and Irijb Members, chofen by the Pretender's
Intereft, that no Arguments of Honour or Honefty
could engage them to be faithful to their Country ;
fuch as were moft open confeffing plainly, that they
were fo far from bounding the Chief Magiftrate,
that they defired to give him as much, nay more
Power than any King or Prince of England ever
had, feeming to caft Dirt upon the famous Long
Parliament, (whofe Succeffes and great Atchieve-
ments will, by Pofterity, be had in Admiration) for
aflerting the Rights of the People againft the King's
own Perfon, not flicking to charge them with Mur-
der for that War ; and that without Reproof, but
rather Countenance from them. But others, more
prudent, waved bounding of the Chief Magiftrate,
under Pretence of firft fettling the Conftitution of
the Government j and fo falling upon the Debate
of that, after fome Days fpent in it, at laft voted,
That it fhould be Part of the Bill for Recognition,
to declare the Parliament to confift of two Houfes.
After this the Houfe was again put in Mind of their
Duties to the People, and urged to fall upon bound-
ing the Power of the Chief Magiftrate ; which,
as it was firft in Order, ought to have been firft
Of ENGLAND. 315
in Debate. But the Courtiers commanding all by Tnter-regnum.
Strength of their Members, waved the Chief Ma- j659-
giftrate, and fell upon conftituting the Other Houfe, *— ^ -^
in which fome Days were fpent in Difputes betwixt March»
the new and old Royalifts, the Commonwealth's-
Men remaining filent, to fee what the Strength of the
other's Brains would produce. The firft was for
the new Creation of Lords, with the Mixture of the
old, upon fuch Limitations as they might not over-
top the new : The other for the old, with a Mix-
ture of the new, and for the full Privileges of the
antient Houfes of Peers : But after it appeared that
they could make nothing of the Debate, not daring
to truft one another, the Commonwealth's-Men
fell in, and (hewed that, where the Caufe is taken
away, the EfFedl muft ceafe : That as the Houfe of
Lords had antiently a natural Right to a fuperior
Jurifdiction, in that their Property was five Parts of
iix of the whole Nation ; fo is it now more natural
for the Commons to have that Superiority, their
Proportion of Property being ninety-nine Parts, or
more, of a hundred : And therefore moved, That,
if they would have another Houfe, it might be fo
bounded as might fuit with the People's Intereft :
Whereupon they proceeded to the Debate of the
Bounds and Powers of the Members fitting in the
Other Houfe of Parliament, in which fome Days
were fpent, they being but for Life ; for that it is
againft the Common Law for any one to be a Judge
for him and his Heirs for ever. Then for their be-
ing firft allowed and approved of by the Parliament:
Then upon their having Negatives only in fome
Matters : Yet ended none ; but, at laft, difingenu-
oufly laid all afidc ; and, inftead of bounding and
approving them, a bare Queftion was brought on
Foot, Whether the Members fitting in the Other
Houfe, as then conftituted, fhould be tranfaclei
with or no j thereby to let them at once into the
full Privileges of the antient Lords : And, to make
it pafs the fmoothlicr, a^ plaufiblc Claufe, to fave the
Rights of the antient Peers, was added by the
Courtiers » which \vas done only to gain the Cava-
liers
316 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter- regnum. Hers in that Vote, and not with any Intent to let in the
1659. Lords j they confeffing, occafionally, that the Rights
*-J ,7*T ^ of the antient Peers could be nothing, fo long as
the A6t for taking of them away was in being, and
unrepealed. Againft acting with the Members fit-
ting in the Other Houfe, as then conftituted, was
alledged the Inconfiftency of it with the Rights and
Liberties of the People, which they had fworn to
maintain: As,/r/?, in that they were moft Depend-
ents upon the Single Perfon, by way of Salaries,
and fo likely to be his Mercenaries. Secondly^ For
that the Militia, both by Sea and Land, was in the
Hands of the Perfons then fitting in that Houfe.
Thirdly^ That all the Chief Judges were Members ;
as, the three Keepers of the Seal, two Chief Juftices,
Mafter of the Rolls ; and that it might be well
thought that the Lord Chief Baron would be ac-
counted as worthy to be one as the reft : And
then the People, in all Cafes of Appeals, could do no
more than appeal from the Judges in fPeftminfter-
Hall to the fame Perfons fitting in Parliament :
And that the chief Judicature being in that Houfe,
and having the Militia to maintain it, that Houfe
might wrong the Commons as they pleafed, and
they remain without Remedy. Fourthly , That all
the Privy Council, the Chief Judges, and General
Officers, both by Sea and Land, being Members,
the Lawyers and Officers of Profit (of whom the
Body of the Houfe of Commons would be made up)
would be the Creatures and Mercenaries of one or
other of them of the Other Houfe, and fo make the
Houfe of Commons to be nothing but the Execu-
tioners of their Lords and Mafters Wills. But,
notwithftanding thefe and many more excellent
Arguments, incomparably prefled by Perfons of
great Virtue and Abilities, the fervile and merce-
nary Court Party would not be prevailed with to
bound and approve the Members fitting in the
Other Houfe, before they put it to the Vote for
tranfa£ting with them ; which made the Common-
\vealth's-Men immediately, as the Queftion was
coming on, to except againft the Constitution of the
Houfcj
Of E N G L A N D. 317
Houfe, as having fixty Pcrfons in it fent from Scot- inter-
land and Ireland, who had no Right nor Title to fit j l6S9
which they did, as being afraid to venture the Que- UT~^
ition for the tranfa&ing with the Other Houfe, with- rt
out firft bounding and approving therewith. With
this new-ftarted Exception, which held afterwards
fourteen Days Debate, the Houfe rofe.'
The Debate concerning the Scots and Irijh
Members came on, and run feveral Ways. This
Narrative Writer gives it in this Manner : ' The
Courtiers, after they found the Want of Law, flew
to Prudence j arguing, that, for obliging the Scots
and IriJJj Nations, their Members ought to be ad-
mitted : To which was anfwered, That nothing
could be more provoking to thofe two Nations, than
fraudulently to give them the Name of having Mem-
bers in Parliament; when, in Truth, by the late
Elections, they had few or none, mod of them be-
ing chofen at Whitehall^ whereof fome had harufy
been ever nearer Scotland than Grafs-Inn. But,
befides this Anfwer to the Courtiers Arguments of
Prudence, the Commonwealth's-Men argued againfl:
their fitting, as having no legal Right or Title to
fit, and that, without keeping "to legal Rules, Foun-
dations could not be maintained ; for, otherwife,
they that fent 60 now might fend 300 next Time,
and fo make Parliaments of what Number and Tem-
per they pleafed ; and therefore defired that the
Members of both Nations might withdraw, and
be afterwards brought in upon legal and equal Feet.
But Whitehall being refolved not to part with any
of their Strength, (tho% after they had done their
Work, they intended to have caft them off) would
have nothing to do with Law or Right: And there-
fore, whereas the Queftion {hould have been, Whe-
ther the Scots and Irijh Members had any legal
Right to fit, the Words legal Right were thrown
out, and the bare Queftion put, Whether the
and Irijh Members {hould fit ? And, by the Help
of the Scots and Irifl) who were fuffered, contrary
to the Law of Nations, to vote in their own Cafe,
it was carried, That they {hould fit in ParJi::
In
3 1 8 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Diter-regnum. In which Vote the Parliament may be faid to have
betrayed their Truft, in taking in Strangers, with-
out Law, to make Laws for the Engli/h Nation;
and in not punifhing the Keepers of the Seal, who
prefumptuoufly took upon them, without and againft
Law, to fend 60 Strangers as Members to Parlia-
ment.
' After this the main Queftion, for tranfacling
with the Other Houfe, before bounded or appro-
ved, which had been interrupted by the Debate
about the Scots and Iriflj Members, came on again.
It was endeavoured to get the Words bounding and
approving the Members into the Queftion; but they
were thrown out by a Vote, and the bare Queftion
put, Whether they fhould be tranfacled with or no,
as then conftituted ; only the Commonwealth's-
Men got the Words during this prefent Parliament
into the Queftion : And then, by the Help of the
Scots and hifn Votes, by whofe Number all Que-
itions were carried in Favour of the Court, it was
refolved to tranfact with the Perfons then fitting in
the Other Houfe of Parliament, during this prefent
Parliament.'
Thus having cleared up thefe Matters, as well as
the "Journals and the Hiftorians of thefe Times will
allow, we fhall go on with the former ; which tells
us, That on this Day, March 31, was read, a fe-
cond Time, A Bill for taking a^vay all Laws, Sta-
tutes^ and Ordinances, concerning the Excife and
•new Impoft, after Tears, and concerning
Cujloms, Tonnage, and Poundage, after
Months, after the Death of his Higbnefs the now
Lord Protettor.
This Bill was debated in the Houfe for fomeDays,
•without any Commitments ; in the mean Time a
Declaration for a public Faft was ordered to be
drawn, by a Committee appointed for that Purpofej
and this Day, April 2, it was brought and read in
the Houfe, Paragraph by Paragraph ; which, with
fpme Additions and Alterations, was corifented to.
The
Of E N G L A N D. 319
The Narrative before quoted tells us, * That this
aft thro' the Three Nations was voted, and a De-
duration for the fame, from the Commons and the
Protector only, was ordered to be brought in : But ' '
the Court Party, to the end to engage the tranfa&ing
with the Other Houfe, brought in the Declaration,
in the Form of a Bill, to be made an A&; which
caufed the Expence of fome Days, in debating in
what Manner and Form to fend it to the Other Houfe,
for that the firft Tranfaction would be the Rule for
the future : It was, in order thereunto, voted, That
ihe Commons would not fliew the Other Houfe any
other Refpect than they fhould {hew to them.
Secondly, That they would fend Members of their
own to the Other Houfe, and that they would receive
no Meflages from them but by Members of their
own Number. This was all the Votes of public
Concernment that was carried in the whole Time
of the Parliament, which was either honourable or
advantageous for the Commons; and yet the Cour-
tiers, after they had confulted with Whitehall, were
refolved to have unvoted and made it null and void.
It was under Debate what Ceremony the Meflengcr
fhould ufe at his Approach into their Houfe, and
what Title to give them ; Mr. Speaker, My Lord
CvmmiJJioner, and My Lords and Gentlemen, were
all feverally fpoken of, but none agreed on ; and
the Courtiers Hafte being fuch as they could not
ftay, the MeiTenger that carried the AcT: for the Fait
down to the Other Houfe, was advifed to give them
no Title at all; which Directions he followed, and
fo left the Bill with them, which was never return 'd.
During this Debate, fome Exceptions being taken,
at Mr. Speaker's Carriage, as unequal, he was
accufed of having had Conference at Whitehall
with the Pretender ; which was contrary to the
Orders of the Houfe : This Charge put the Houfe
into a great Heat, fome taking Part with him, a«4
fome againft him ; and as the Courtiers were not
only moft in Number but beft at brawling, fo they
made the greateft Neifc, umill they «l>ferve«l Matte*
320 *The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. of Truth in the Thing ; and then, as the Party
l659« charging was fatisfied with giving the Reproof, fo
*""'TV'T""' the Courtiers were willing to have it die.
* Some Deficiency was obferved by the Court in
the Acts for forcing the Payment of the Exciie, and
therefore a Bill was brought in by one of that Party,
under a fpecious Pretence of fettling it but for a cer-
tainNumber of Years, as thePaiiiamentfhould agree
on, whereas it was fettled for ever. This Bill, after
long Debate, was, by Means of Coinmonwealth's-
Men, laid afide, and a Declaration brought in by
them to enjoin the Payment of the Excife during the
Sitting of the Parliament ; owning clearly their De-
fjgn to be, That, if the Laws were not good, the
afcertaining the Excife no longer than during the
Parliament, would put a Neceffity upon the Chief
Magiftrate to let the Parliament fit untill they had
done fome Good for the poor People of England;
and, if they were good, the Declaration did not
prejudice them : But as the Commonwealth's Men
laid afide the Courtiers Bill, fo they laid afide this
the Commonwealth's-Men's Declaration.'
After the Declaration for a Faft was finifhed and
agreed to, much Debate, we find, was had, what
Title to put to it. A Queftion was propofed, that
the Title of this Declaration be, A Declaration
of the Lord Protector and both Houjes of Parlia-
ment for a Day of Jolernn F aft ing and Humiliation,
to be obferved in all Places within the Common-
wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, upon the
eighteenth Day of May, 1659. Another Queftioti
was put, Whether thefe Words, Both Houfes of,
ihould ftand in the Title after the Word and, and
before the Word Parliament? The Houfe di-
vided ; when the Yeas were found to be 135, and
the Noes 96. But when this Title was engroffed on
the Back of the Declaration, and was read a third
Time,y^/>r/75, twoProvifo's,by way of Salvo's, were
offered to be added to it. The one was, ' Provided
always, and this Houfe doth declare, That it is not
Of E N G L A N D. 321
Intended by this Declaration, that the Houfe of Inter-rtgnum.
Commons {hall be hereby precluded or debarred to
add, hereafter, fuch Bounds and Limitations either
to the Single Perfon, or the Other Houfe, as may be
requifite for the Public Safety and Welfare of thefe
Nations.' The other Provifo was, « Provided al-
ways, and it is hereby declared, That the paffing
of this prefent Declaration {hall not be intended,
nor conftrued, to exclude the Houfe of Commons,
in Parliament aflembled, to fet fuch Bounds to the
Powers and Authorities of the Chief Magiftrate, as
ihall confift with the juft Rights and Liberties of
the People, according to the former Vote of this
Houfe.'
Thefc two Provifo's, we are told by the Journals,
were only read by the Gentlemen that tendered
them, {landing up in their Places, and were after-
wards brought up to the Table and delivered : For
when the Queftion was put, That the firft {hould
be read there, it was carried in the Negative, on a
Divifion, 123 againft 73. The other Provifo was
not fuffer'd fo much as to be put to the Queftion for
reading it ; but, inftead thereof, the main Queftion
was called for, put, and carried by a Majority of
94 againft 34, ' That this Houfe doth agree to the
Declaration ; and that the Concurrence of the
Other Houfe be defircd to it.' The whole, then,
of this extraordinary Work of Piety runs thus :
A DECLARATION of the LORD PROTF.CTOR and
both Houfes of Parliament, fer a Day of folemn
fajllng and Humiliation, to be obferved in all
Places within toe Commonwealth of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, upon the i8tb Day of
May, 1659.
WE look upon it as a Duty incumbent upon A Declaration
us, who are fet upon the Watch- To wcr/or a PublicFail-
to declare what we fee ; and ferioufly weighing
the Condition of thefe Three Nations, by God's
Ways towards us, and our Ways towards him, and
the prefent Pofture of Affairs among us, we Cir
not but have fad Thoughts and Apnrehenfions cf
VOL. XXI. ^X
322 The Parliamentary HISTORY
4 the Tokens of God's juft Difpleafure againft us.
4 As for the Ways of the Lord wherein he hath
4 walked towards us, they have been Ways of Mul-
4 titudes of Mercies in Viciflitudes of Dangers : For,
4 in the faddeft Difpenfations of his Providence to-
4 wards us, he hath, in the midft of Judgment, re-
4 membered Mercy ; and hath feemcd to fay as of
4 old to Ephraim and Ifrael, How /hall I give thee
4 up, England ! How /hall I deliver you, Scotland
4 and Ireland ! How foall 1 make you as Admah !
4 How Jhall 1 fet you as Zeboim ! My Heart is
4 turned within me, my Repentings are kindled to-
4 gether; yet we cannot fay his^Wrath is turned
4 away, but his Hand is ftretched out ftill ; for tho'
4 we have been emptied from Veflel to Veflel, yet
4 we can find no Reft or Settlement ; we fee not our
4 Signs, nor any that can tell us how long : This is
4 a Lamentation ; and if our Ways towards God in
4 all this be confidered, it muft be for a Lamenta-
4 tion.
4 For inftead of humbling ourfelves under the
4 mighty Hand of God, and meeting him in the
4 Way of his Judgments, we turn our Backs upon
4 him, and caft him out of Mind, vex his holy Ma-
4 jefty with our Murmurings and Complainings of
4 Events, repining at the Mifcarriages of Inftru-
4 ments, envying, cenfuring, and fretting againft
4 one another ; no Man in the mean Time laying
c his Hand upon his own Heart, faying, Wbtit have
< 1 done?
4 How highly is God provoked by our great Apo-
4 iracy and Backfliding, arifing chiefly from want of
4 receiving the Truth in the Love thereof, whereby
4 thefe Nations are overfpread with many Blafphe-
c mies and damnable Herefies againft God himfelf,
4 and his glorious Attributes ; againft the Lord Je-
4 Jus Chrtft, his Perfon, his Offices, and his Me-
4 rits ; againft the Holy Spirit ; againft the Word
4 of God, the only Rule of Faith and Life, by de-
4 nying the Authority thereof, and crying up the
4 Light in the Hearts of finful Men, as the Rule
4 and Guide of all their Adtions > befides many other
4 abc-
Of ENGLAND. 323
' abominable Errors, which have opened a wide [nter-regi
* Door for the letting in of the mcft horrible Con- l659-
' tempt of the Ordinances and Inftitutions of Jefus *• — ^"
c Cbrift* of the Minifters and Miniftry of the glo- Aprih
* rious Gofpel ; together with the /Growth of grofs
* Ignorance, Atheifm, and Profancncfs of all Sorts,
* fuch as vain Swearing and Curling, Profanation
* of the Lord's Day, Drunkennefs, Uncleannefs,
' and other ungodly Courles, for which the Land
c mourns.
' And befitles all this, that which fhould be the
' Caufe of deepeft Humiliation to us, and is of high
4 Provocation to God, is the great Scandal given by
' ProfefTors, and the fad Divifions amongft them',
' whereby Religion has been fo wounded in the
' Houfe of its Friends.
' And that which makes thefe Abominations the
* more national, and gives us the more Caufe to be
' humbled for them, is, the too- much RemiiTnefs
c and Connivance of the Civil Magiftrates, (to whom
' belongs the Care of maintaining God's public
' Worfhip, Honour, and Purity of Doctrine, as
' well as of punifhing all Sins of the fecond Table)
* in permitting the Growth of thefe Abominations,
* by fuffering Perfons, under the Abufe of Liberty
* of Confcience, to difturb the public Ordinances,
' and to publilh their corrupt Principles and Pradti-
* ces, to the feducing and infecting others.
* And that which makes all thefe Sins to be out
* of Meafure finful, is, that they are againft fomany
* fignal Deliverances and Mercies, under fuch a
' glorious Sun-fhine of the Gofpel, and contrary to
' fo many Covenants, Vows, and Proteftations,
* perfonal and national. ,*
* Nor are we, in this Day of our Humiliation, to
* forget the Judgments of God, (whereby .he gives
* thefe Nations Tokens of his Difpleafure") that in
* the midft of all our Changes and Unfettlements,
.• he hath ftill left us in the Dark, and hid Council
* from the Wife ; fo that hitherto we have not at-
tained unto that happy Settlement in Church and
j, which hath lain fo much upon the Spirits,
X ?, * and
324 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Iiiter-iegnum. «and hath been fo much in the Prayers and Defire:
^jfeL^j c of all that fear him.
April. ' That there hath been fo great a Mortality upon
' Man and Beaft, in many Places of this Nation,
* befides the Decay of Trade, and the great Dearth
' which is amongft us, which, if the Lord be not fo
' merciful as to fend feafonable Weather, may
' threaten a Famine.
« Thefe Things ferioufly confidered, Is there not
' a Caufe to fandtify a Faft, to call a folemn Afiem-
* bly, to gather the Elders, and all the Inhabitants
* of the Land into the Houfe of the Lord our God,
' to cry mightily unto the Lord.
' For which Purpofe, as alfo to implore a Blef-
' fmg from God upon the Councils and Proceedings
' of this prefent Parliament, his Highnefs the Lord
' Protector, and the Parliament, do appoint, That in
* all Places within England^ Scotland, and Ireland,
* and the Dominions thereunto belonging, the
' Eighteenth Day of May next be fet apart and ob-
* ferved as a Day of folemn Fafting and Humiliation,
' in all Churches, Chapels, and Congregations
1 within the fame.
' And we do will and require all Minifters and
' Paftors of Congregations to read, or caufe to be
' read, this Declaration, in their feveral Churches,
' Chapels, and Congregations, on the Lord's Day
' next before the faid Day of Public Fatting, to the
' end the fame may be the better taken Notice of.
' And we do alfo hereby will and require all Jufti*
* ce§ of the Peace, and other Officers, to fee that thr-
' faid Day be duly obferved : And we do prohibit alt
* Fairs, Markets, opening of Shops, and other ordi-
' nary Labours and Employments, and all Recrea-
' tions, upon the faid Day.'
The next Day after this Declaration was agreed
to, April 6, a Debate arofe in the Commons.,
about the Manner of tranfa&ing Bufmefs with the
Other Houfe ; when they came to a Refolutioh.
to appoint a Committee to confider and report their
Opinion of this Matter : But the fame Day the
« Houfe,
Of ENGLAND. 325
Houfe, on the Queftion, refolved, 'That, in all interregnum.
Meflages unto, and Conferences with, the Other
Houfe, the like Refpcd, and no other, be obfervcd
by the Members of this Houfe, that is obferved by
the Perfons lining in the Other Houfe to them.'
Mr. Ludlow, on this Head, remarks, c That
thofe of his Party defired, that feeing the Houfe of
Commons was undeniably more honourable in the
Members of it than the Other, and much more in
relation to thofe whom they reprefented, that the
Members" of this Houfe might not go to them with
Meflages as formerly, unlcfs the Members of the
New Houfe would refpeciively come to us with their
Meflages ; or that the Matters in Chancery, who
were accuftomed to be the Lords Mefiengers, might
be divided between the two Houfes for that Purpofe :
But this alfo was denied, and we were told, That a
Feather might hinder the Motion of a CJock as
well as a Piece of Iron. The Subject of our firft
TranfacStion with the Other Houfe was touching a
Declaration for a Faft; which, by fome Expreflkms
in it, of taking Shame to ourfelves for neglefting to
fettle the Government of the Church, and having
permitted fo many erroneous and heretical Opinions
to be divulged, with others of a like Nature, dif-
covered plainly in what Mint it was forged. This
Declaration being agreed to, it was ordered to be
carried to the Other Houfe, for their Concurrence,
by one Mr. Grove, who was accompanied by divers
young Gentlemen, and many of the Cavalier Party,
all of them attending like fo many Lackies at the
Bar of the Other Houfe, whilft the Ceremonies of
prefenting it were performed, which were the fame
that had been formerly ufed to the Peers on the like
Occafion. Thofe of the Other Houfe were won-
derfully pleafed with this Application to them,
having waited near three Months for it, and, having
no Bufinefs to do, had confumed great Store of Fire
to keep them warm at the Public Charge : Yet,
upon the Debate, they found not fo great an Unani-
mity as in the receiving it ; for Mr. Cromwell's
Party and the Prefbyterians fell violently upon the
X 3 In-
d.
326 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Independents and fome of the Army, concerning fome Claufes
therein inferted, as they faid, by thofe of their Party.' But
more of this in the Sequel.
The Public Accounts of the Kingdom having been referred,
for Infpeclion, to a Committee, as well as the Public Revenue,
this Day, April 7, Mr. Scawen, from the faid Committee,
delivered in a Paper, wherein was ftated the whole, drawn up
in the following Manner, under this Title :
A brief View of the PUBLIC REVENUE, both certain and cafual;
with the ordinary Expence of the Commonwealth of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, refpeftively, in the Three Nations, for
one Tear ; together with a State of the PUBLIC DEBTS, as the
fame doth appear to the Committee appointed by the Houfe of
Commons, for the Infpeclion into the Accompts and Public Re-
venue as followeth : That is to fay,
The Income of England.
By Afleflments of 35000 /. a Month
By Cuftoms and Subfidies in the Ports
of London, and the Out-Ports
By the Cuftom of Sea Coal exported out
of England and Scotland, in Farm to Mr.
Noel at 22000 /. a Year; whereof, Mr.
Noel affirms, 22i6/. 5 .r. 4^. is for the V
Coals of Scotland, and is hereafter charged I
in the Income of Scotland, and therefore to j
be here deducted ; and the Remain is
By the Excife of Goods imported into
the Port of London and the Out-Ports
By the Excife of inland Commodities of~j
England and Scotland, in Farm to Mr. J
Noel at 65000 /. a Year ; whereof, Mr. J
Noel affirms, 1674 /. 9*. 5 d. Is for the •
inland Commodities of Scotland, and is (
hereafter charged as Part of the Income
of Scotland, and is therefore here deducted j j
and fo the Remain is J
By the Excife of Beer and Ale in Farm
J3y Receivers- General, arifing chiefly by )
and Delinquents Eftates
- 420000 o
• 391630 17
O
7*
^ 1-9783 14
8
\ 196783 12
7
58375 15 7
329011
54087
o o
5 9
By
Of ENGLAND.
By Probate of Wills
By Poftage of Letters, in Farm -
By Fines for Alienations —
By the Hannper Office —
By the Duty of Sea Coals, in Farm —
By Wine Licences — •
By Poft Fines, in Farm ~ —
By the Iflues of Jurors, in Farm —
By the Green Wax, befidcs the Wages )
of the Juftices of Peace )
By Sheriffs in the Pipe, and by Minute •%
Rents vefted in Truftees for the Sale of /
Fee-Farm Rents, and for Lands extended j f
for Outlawries, and Debts lett to Farm J
By Seizures in the Pipe .
By Sherifts, for Debts of feveral Natures
By the Underage, in Farm .
By the Profits of Liberties — —
By the Foreft of Deane, in feveral Sorts }
of Iron Shot delivered into the public >
Stores of the Office of the Ordnance 3
By the Mint _ .
By theAulnage, a Rent of 997 /. i s. lid. -j
is in Charge; but for 12 Years laft paft /
it hath been ill paid, and fometimes very {
iittle; in the Year 1657 was anfwered J
The Tenths and Firft-Fi;uits
327
/. s. d.
7993 18 3
14000 o o
4883 13 4
3876 9 2
1838 12 6
4131 6 10
3000 o o
IOOO O O
835 18 7*
1542 14 3
844 5 ii
498 i 3
500 o o
81 9 2
1575 H
359
997 i "
Nil.
Note, That we find, in a Report made by a Grand Committee
for the Public Revenue, in the Year 1654, a yearly Income
fet upon the Particulars following ; that is to fay,
Upon the Foreft of Deane - — — 4000 o o
The Iflands of Guernfey and Jerfey —^ 200O o O
The Coinage of Tin — — 2000 o o
But nothing anfwered for any of thofe, fave the Sum of
X575^ *4/» I <?•*• o^ of the Foreft of Deane, in Iron Shot,
as before is exprefled.
Note alfoy That, the laft Year, there was anfwered in the Ex-
chequer the feVcral Sums of Money hereafter mentioned;
that is to fav,
For
328 ¥b? Parliamentary HISTORY
/. s. d.
For Deans and Chapters Lands, fold — 3433 * * 7
For Fee-Farm Rents, fold _ 1134 15 4
For Compofitions for new Buildings — 30229 19 y£
For Prize-Goods — . ...... . 377° ° °
For Fines of Delinquents, at - 3565 15 9
For Fines in Star-Chamber — - — — o o o
From the Commiffioners of fequeftered ? 1 60 o o
From the Treafurers at Drury-Houfe — 400 o o
Foreftalled Debts - 603 6 8
From the Colle&ors of the 400000 /. ?
Subfidy \ in 19 ioi
For the Duty of One per Cent. - 4382 911
For Fines of Leafes — • 26 4 o
For Goods forfeited for Treafon — 215 o o
For Lands feized and extended • ..... • 221 16 i
For Rent of Lands - — 1511 I 4
For the Plymouth Duty — • - 500 o o
For Sale of Woods « ..... — 58 10 o
For the Duchy of Lancafler — — 649 8 o^
For the Torkjbire Engagement — — — - 400 o o
Thefe Duties are cafual, and many of them are expired, and the
reft are declining ; and tho' fome Money may be raifed and got-
ten in upon them, towards the Payment of the Public Debts,
yet are not to be reckoned, or relied upon, as an annual Income.
J568648 '5 5*
The Income of Scotland.
By AffefTments of 6000 /. a Month — 72000 o o
By Property and conftant Rent, pay- 1 0
able into the Exchequer 53^4 18
By Cafualty, and uncertain Rent, recei- ~\
ved by Sheriffs, and accounted for in the > 576 3 5
Exchequer 3
By Compofition of Signatories in the 1 ,
Exchequer 5
By Cuftoms inward andoutward, and by ~\
the Excife of Goods imported, in Farm to > 1 2500 o o
Mr. Nosl 3
Of ENGLAND.
By the Cuftoms of Sea Coal, in Farm to^J
Mr. Nod, with the Cuftoms of Sea Coal j
in England, at the Rent of 22OOO/. a Year; 1
and for which Mr. Noel affirms, that the I
Sum of 22 r 6 /. 5 *. $d. is paid for the Coals )>
of Scotland; and is therefore deducted out
of that Rent in the Income of England be-
fore mentioned ; and is here to be charged
as Part of the Income of Scotland
By the Excife of Foreign Salt, 550 /. a
Year ; and, by the Excife of Inland Salt,
U24/. 9*. $d. in all, 1674 /. 9*. 5^.
which Commodities are in Farm to Mr.
Noel, with the Excife of the Inland Com- I
modifies of England, under the yearly Rent !
of 65,0007. And is therefore deducted "
out of that P»ent in the Income of England
before mentioned, and is here to be charg'd
as Part of the Income of Scotland
By the Excife of Beer, Ale, and Aqua-
Vita?
By Forfeiture of Goods uncuftomed and
uncxcifed
By the Intcrcft of Money fet apart for
the Judges Salaries
Anil fo the whole annual Income of
Scotland is
The Income of Ireland*
By the AfiefTments of gooo/. a Month -
By Cuftoms and Excife, in Farm —
By Rents of Lands, Houfes, &V.
By Rents of Impropriations, &c. -
By Sheriffs Accompts ; the Hanaper Ac
compt, with Fines and Amerciaments
And fo the whole annual Income of
Ireland is
d.
2216 5 4
1674 9 5
47444 13 4
595 10 n
1436$* ii n ,
lOjSooo O
70000 o
20679 o
7611 o
1500
0 0
207790 o o
The
330 %? Parliamentary HISTORY
The Iflues of England.
In Pay of the Army of England, at 52867 /. oj. 10^. by the
Month, according to the Eftablifhment hereafter following ;
that is to fay,
«J '
By tbe Month. By the Year.
To the General Officers 7
t ^ /. S. d.
of the Army )
639 n 4 1
To nine Regiments of ~i
Horfe, each Regiment con- /
fifting of fix Troops, and f*
11709 12 0
each Troop of 48 Soldiers J
To the Life-Guard of 1 06 1
Soldiers \
1080 16 o
To eight Regiments and^)
>35*743 6 o
two Companies of Foot; 1
each Regiment confifting of ^
9415 6 4
ten Companies, and each |
Company of 80 Soldiers J
To the Train of Artillery
44 12 6
To divers Garrifons in fe- 7
veral Places J
6422 o 8
In Part of the Pay of the J
H
1
Army in Scotland, out of >
the Afleflments J
11400 o o
•136800 o o
In Part of the Pay of the J
J
Army in Ireland, out of the >•
Afieflments 3
8000 o o C 96000 o o
In Pay of the Forces of ^
•J
Jamaica, confifting of 1597 >
Soldiers, with Officers j
4153 2 o-C 49837 4 o
In the Pay of the Forces in F/anders, at 61517. $s. 8d. by the
Month, according to the E)ftablimment hereafter following ;
that is to fay,
By tbe Month. By tbe Ytar.
To a Regiment of Horfe, ^
/. S. d.
confifting of fix Troops, and £
2269 i o^|
each Troop of 95 Troopers )
To three Regiments of-j
Foot, each Regiment con- /
fifting of 10 Companies, and f
each Company of 90 Soldiers J
3357 4 o
To two Majors ; one for ?
9 6 8 J
To
Of E N G L A N D. 331
By ib€ Mintl. Ej tbt T<ar.
/. S. d. L S. J.
To the Train of Artillery 266 14 <T|
For Contingencies — 49 o o j 73815 8 O
To a Minilter per Annum 2OO o O [_
The" whole Pay of the Ar- ) Q Q
my and Forces for a Year \ "°8195 '
Betides an Allowance of Cloaths to the Non-Coflamiffion Of-
ficers and Foot Soldiers in Flanders.
In the Pay of the ordinary Guards and Fleets at Sea, and Build-
ing of Ships, by way of Eftimate yearly, as followeth; tl*t
is to fay,
E N G LAND.
For the Charge of 7500 Men, to be em- J
ployed in 50 Ships, for a Summer's Guard S- 2JOOOO o O
for feven Months, at 4/. a Man per Month J
For the Charge of 5250 Men, to be em- 1
ployed in 35 Ships, for a Winter's Guard v 147000 O O
for feven Months, at 4/. a Man per Month j
For Building of Ships yearly - 4000 o O
In the Pay of the Commiflioners of the 1
Admiralty, and the Commiffioners of the > 7744 ° °
Navy, and the Treafurers of the Navy 3
In the Pay of the Standing Officers be- 1
longing to the Yards, and of Ships in Har- > 3628 6 10
bours j
In the Pay of the Officers and Seamen ~)
employed in the Looking-to of Ships in > 45613 13 9
Docks, and otherwife unemployed J •
The whole Charge of the Navy by the ) jI7Qg6 o 7
Year 5
In Intcreft paid for 2680477. igt. 6d. J
charged upon the Receipt of the Excife by S- 20585 13 7
Acts and Ordinances of Parliament for aYear 3
In Expence of his Highnefs's Houfliold > IOOOOO o o
In Repair of his Highncfs's Houfes yearly 5650 O o
In Monies advanced to the Treafurer of I 27 6 6 8
his Highnefs's public Contingencies 5 -.549
In
'The Parliamentary HISTORV
In Allowances to public Minifters em- 7
ployed abroad J
In Gifts and Rewards — •••
In Payments of fundry Natures, as by a 1
Particular 5
In Liberaties of the Courts at the Receipt }
of the Exchequer, and for a Defalcation >
upon Sea Coal 3
In Allowances, Fees, and Salaries, paid 3
out of the Exchequer j
In Penfions and Annuities paid out of the 7
Exchequer j
lln Salaries to Judges in England and Wales^ ~\
and aPenfion of 5OO/. yearly paid out of the V
Cuftoms to the Earl of Nottingham j
In Salaries, Fees, and Charges, incident 1
and extraordinary in managing the Excife >
yearly )
In the like, for managing the Cuftoms ?
yearly 5
In the like, for collecting the monthly']
y\fleflments of 350007. a Month, the Sum 1
of 7000 /. and for the Charges and Salaries ^
cf the Committee of the Army and Trea- I
furers at Wars, 82797. 9*. id.
In the like, for the Committee of Appeals
In the like, for the Judges and other Of- J
ficers employed in the Probate of Wills, C
and incident Charges j
In the like, paid by, and allowed to, the "»
Clerk of the Hanaper in ordinary, 751 7. /
7$. tfd. and of extraordinary Payments, f"
31237. 19 s. id. J
In the like Fees and Allowances to the 1
Receiver, &ff. of the Office of Alienations >
In Fees to the Officers of the Mim,Hvith 7
their Diet and incident Charges 5
In Officers Salaries, Rent, and other 1
Charges of the Office of Wine Licences, by >
Eftimate 3
In Fees and Allowances to the Auditors 1
and Receivers of the Revenue 5
11089 I]c 2
2262 12 2
11734 12 8
582 16 3-
24674 7 7
5897
16286 13 4
28178 3 u
427H 3 5
15279 9 2
1800 o
2584 10
3875 6 n
1044 17
H54 19
600
4287 10
Of ENGLAND.
In Allowances in the Pipe, upon Sheriffs']
Accompts, by Warrant from the Commif- j
ftoners of the Treafury, and Judgment of |
the Court of Exchequer j that is to fay, V
for cafual Neceflaries of feveral Natures, '
24987. 14*. lod. for apprehending of Fe-
lons, 94.5 /. and, in Fees in paffing of She-
riffs Accompts, 2098. In all
The Sum is
533
d.
5541 14
329320 8 6Tr
The whole Iflues of England for a Year 1455502 7 ii
In Pay of the Army in Scotland, at 208 ig/. 4*. 2.d. by the
Month, according to the Eftablifhment hereafter following;
that is to fay,
The Iffues of Scotland,
By the Month. By tie Year.
To the General Officers ;
of the Army
To five Regiments of"
Horfe, each Regiment con-
fifting of fix Troops, and I
each Troop of 48 Soldiers J
To ii Regiments and^)
one Company of Foot, each j
Regiment confifting of 10 V 11900
Companies, and each Com- j
pany of 70 Soldiers
To four Companies of 1
Dragoons, each Company >
confifting of 48 Dragoons 3
To the Train of Artillery
To divers Garrifons i
feveral Places
343 14
6505 6 8
2 . 4
630 18 8
50 19 2
288 3 4
^24983
3 10 0
To defray Contingencies noo o o^
In Salaries to the Counfel and their Officers
In contingent Charge* of the Counfel —
In Salaries to the Court of Exchequer — - —
In the contingent Charges of the Exchequer
/n Salaries to the Courts of Juftice
fn contingent Charges of the Courts of Juftice
9410
350
I883o3
ii
o
4
10
4246 4
4&5 12
o
o
In
334
Parliamentary HISTORY
In Salaries to the Commiflioners of the )
Cuitoms, and of the Excife i 4I?7 ? °
In the contingent Charges of the faid >
Commiflioners \
In Salaries to the Court of Admiralty, \ Q o
and their Officers ' $
In the contingent Charges of the Admiralty 167 14. i
In Charges of an Hofpital - 587 10 6
In Fire and Candles to Soldiers for Guards, )
&c. V 5297 19 4
In Penfions, and other temporary Con- )
Agencies J
The whole Iflues of Scotland for a Year 286458 18 6 ^
0
89'5
In Pay of the Army in Ireland, at 237997. us. 4^. by the
Month, according to the Eftablifhment hereafter following ;
that is to fay,
The liTues of Ireland.
By the Msntb. By tbt Tear.
To the General Offi- 1 ,
ccrsofthe Army f Oj7 '
To ii Regiments and 7
!0 Companies of Foot f l
To fix Regiments and )
\
three Troops of Horfe
To .Regiment ofDr.-
o o
9293 19 4
l8
8 o
4 Q
To a Foot-Guard - 155
To an Hofpital - 279
To Reparations of Gar- >
rifons J
In the Entertainment of the Lord Lieu- 1
tenant J
In Allowances to the Counfel, and the l
Clerks of the Counfel, and their Clerks and £
Attendants J
l6
0
II
7600 p p
In
Of ENGLAND.
In Allowances to the Lord Chancellor,
and the Officers of the Chancery
In Allowances to the Lord Chief Juftice
of the Upper Bench, and two Judges and
Clerks of the Crown
In Allowances to the Lord Chief Juftice 1
of the Common Pleas, and two Judges, and >
the Prothonotary 3
In Allowance to the Chancellor, Chief T
Baron, and two Barons of the Exchequer, (
with other Officers, and Payments by Li- f
berats J
In Pay and Allowances to the Juftices of
Affize in five Circuits
•In Pay to the Lord Prefident of Connaught,
and two Provoft-Marflials of Lemfter and
Munfter
In Pay to the Overfeers of the Hofpital oH
Dublin^ nine Mufter-M.ifters, five Commif- j
Varies of Stores to the Overfeers of the >
State's Houfes; with an Allowance of the j
Provofts and Fellows of Trinity College J
In Pay of eight Receivers of the Revenue
In Pay to 28 Comptrollers and Search- J
ers of the Cuftoms 5
In Penfions to maimed Soldiers, and 1
Widows and Orphans of Soldiers )
In Allowances and Contingencies, extra- )
ordinary Gratuities, and other cafual Iflues $
335
/. 5. d.
2258 o o
IO O
1007 IO °
1991 15 p
1000
1887
o o
o o
1807 8 4
165
1150
3000
8000
0 P
o o
o o,
o o
The whole Iflues of Ireland for a Year 320493 8 3
The annual Income of England is 1568648 15 5^
The annual lilues and Expences of J
England *K f '4555Q2 7 'j
The Balance is •• <- -*
The annual Income of Scotland is
The annual Iflues and Expences of
Scotland
The Balance is — — -
113146 8 4!
ii ii
18 61
286458
142806
6 7i
"The"
336
'The Parliamentary HISTORY
The annual Income of Ireland is — 207790 o o
The annual liTues and Expcnces of 1 Q
The Balance is 112703 18 3
The annual Income of England, Scst- 1
land, and Ireland, is J 'S*00*1 7 4*
The annual JfTues and Expenccs of 7
England, Scotland, and Ireland, are £ 2C52454 1 3 Ir
The Balance is
132363 6
541465 14 7
51-
The State of the Debts of the Commonwealth ; that is to fay,
To the Navy, to November i, 1658,")
as the fame is certified by the Commif-
fioners of the Admiralty and of the Navy,
by way of Eftimate J
To the Army in England, to March 29, 1
1659, as the fame is certified by the Com- > 223747 8
rnittee of the Army 3
To the Army in Scotland, to March 29, 1
1659, as the fame is certified by the Au- > 93827. 13
ditor of Scotland J
More for the Citadel of Leith
To the Army in Ireland, to Dec. 20,
! the f
Ireland
1800 o o
ps the fame is certified by the Council of > 299225 5 4
More to pay up that Army to March 29, \
1659, by Eftimate i
To the Forces in Jamaica, to Feb. I,"
1657, 1 03045 A iSs. lid. as by a Certi-
ficate from the Treafurer for that Service ;
one Third Part whereof being abated for
Provifions, there is due 68697 ^ 5 *• J J^« i •
And for the faid Forces, from the faid ift
of February, 1657, to March 26, 1659,
at 4I53/. 2 s. per Month, for 15 Months,
62296?. 18*. out of which one Third Part
being abated for Provifions, as before,
there is due, in ths Whole,
71903 12
110228 ti 3}
Of ENGLAND.
To feveral Perfons, for Pro vi lions for }
the Forces in Flanders, as by a Certificate >
from the Commiflioners of the Treafury )
To feveral Perfons, for Monies charged T
by A&s and Ordinances of Parliament, as f
by the Accompt of the Commiffioners of f
Excife appears * J
To feveral Perfons, charged upon the ~l
Exchequer, as the fame is certified by the >
Lords Commiffioners of the Treafury 3
The whole Debt at prefent is
Befides which there is a growing Debt^j
incurring for the Navy for this prefent j
Year's Service, determining November I,
1659, over and above the Sum of 1432927.
19 $. 8d. ^, which is already received to-
wards this Service j and the Sum of
4179867. os. 7 d. allowed for the ordi-
nary Charge of the Fleet, as in the Iflues
of this Year appears, the Sum of
And further, whereas the Iflues and Ex-
pences of England, Scotland, and Ireland,
exceeded the Income of 1323637. 6s. 6d.?
as by the Balance of the Three Nations is )>
before declared, that Sum is a growing
Debt on the Commonwealth, and will be
due before the End of the Year
The whole Debt of the Public, at pre-
fent, and before the Year end, is, and
will be
That is to fay, In the prefent Debts
before- mentioned
In the growing Debt of the Navy for
this prefent Year
In the Iflues this Year, more than the
Income
337
/.
268047 19 .6
124184 15 6
1747584 2 10
393832 8 p
132363 6
. 2273830 4
5 4
393882 8 o
132393 6 6£
Befides what may be due to the Forces in Flanders; of which
there is no Account to be had.
* Mr. Scaiven further reported, That, fince the ftating and
Drawing up of this Report, the Committee had received fome
VOL. XXI, Y Papers
338 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. Papers from Flanders, concerning the Arrears due
^J *' to the Forces there j which the Committee conceive,
April^ upon what they have feen of them, may amount to
between 8 and 10,000 /. which is to be added to the
Debt depending upon the Foot of the Accompt now
reported.
' The Houfe taking Notice of the great Pains
taken by the Committee who brought in this Report,
and of their Faithfulnefs and Exadnefs in the ftating
of this Accompt, it was refolved, &c. ' That the
Thanks of this Houfe be given to Mr. Scawen^ and
to the reft of the Members of this Houfe of the faid
Committee, for their great Pains, Care, and Faith-
fulnefs in this Service.'
« Mr. Speaker gave the Thanks of the Houfe to
Mr. Scawen^ and to the reft of the Members of the
Houfe that are of this Committee, they {landing up
in their Places refpe&ively.
« Refolved, &c. That the Debate upon this Re-
port be adjourned untill Saturday Morning next,
and then taken up again j and that nothing elfe do
then intervene.'
April 8. Sir Walter Erie reported from the Com-
mittee, to whom it was referred to confider of the
Manner of transacting with the Other Houfe, the
Refolutions of the faid Committee. The firft of
which was, * That fiich Meflages as lhall be fent
from this Houfe to the Other Houfe, fhall be carried
by Members of this Houfe.' Hereupon a Debate
arofe, and it being put to the Queftion, the Houfe
divided, and it went in the Affirmative, I36againft
1 02. The fecond Vote, now reported from the
Committee, was in thefe Words, * That fuch Mef-
fages as fhall be fent from the Other Houfe to this
Houfe fhall not be received, unlefs brought by
Members of their own Number.' This occafioned
another Divifion on the Queftion, and was carried
alfo in the Affirmative j but on a much nearer Di-
vifion than any we have met with in this Parliament,
being only by 127 againft 114,
On
Of E N G L A N D. 339
On the fame Day a Letter from his Highnefs In:«r. return,
the Lord Protestor, directed To our Tru/iy and
Right IVell- btlovtd Thomas Bampfield, Efq-,
Speaker of our Houfe of Commons ; to be communi-
cated to the Houfe. Signed, at the Head, Richard K
and dated April 8, 1659, was this Day read in the
Houfe. The Journals Only add, That, iff the faid
Letter, his Hishnefs reprefented to the Parliament
the Humble Keprcfentation and Petition of the
General Council of the Officers of the Armies of
England, Scotland^ and Ireland, which was alfo
read.
It is necefTary to flop here, and explain the Na-
ture of this Petition a little further than the Journals
do ; fince, as Whitlocke fays, it was the Beginning
<5f Richard's Fall. It was, as the fame Author in-
forms us, to fet forth, * Their Want of Pay, the
}nfolencies of the Enemy, and their Defigns, to-
gether with fome in Power, to ruin the Army and
the Good old Caufe, and to bring in the Enemies
thereof; to prevent which, and to provide againft
Free Quarter, they defired his Highnefs to advife
with the Parliament, and to provide an effectual
Remedy.'
Mr. VWtlicke adds, ' That this Beginning was fct
on foot by Richard's near Relations, Defareugbi
who married his Aunt, and FUttwiod, who married
his Sifter, with others of their Party, whilft the
Parliament was difputing with the Other Houfe,
and took no Care to provide Money, which exaf-
perated the Army, and- laid the Foundation of all
their Ruins.'
Mr. Ludloiv tells us, * That thefe Divifions were
not confined within the Walls of both Houfes, but
broke out in the Army itfelf ; the Officers growing
jealous of one another, and were divided into three
Factions, neither of thefe much fupcrior in Ntmi-
ber ; that one Party was known to be well affected
to the Cum mon wealth, and confifted chiefly of the
following Officers, viz. Col. AJkficU, Col. Lilb*rn,
Col. Fi'tz, Lieut. Col. Mafon, Lieut. Col. Jffife,
JLicut. Col. Far[eytzfi&MajotCrfe(t, with divers Cap-
Y 2 tains,
340 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. tains, and other inferior Officers. A fecond Party
1659. was known by the Title of the Waiting! or d-Houfe,
^"""^T ^ or Army Party, who had advanced Mr. Richard
Cromwell, in Expectation of governing all as they
pleafed : Of thefe were Lieut. Gen. Fleetwcod, Col.
De/borough, Col. Sydenham, Col. Clark , Col. Kelfey,
Col. Berry, Major Haines, Treafurer Blackwell,
and fome others. The third Party was that of Mr.
Richard Cromwell; who, having caft off thofe that
had taken the Pains to advance him, joined himfelf
to Men that were more iuitable to his Inclinations ;
fuch were Col. Ingoldjby, Col. Cough, Col. Whal-
ley, Col. Howard, Col. Goodrich, Lieut. Col. Ktlns,
with many others, and more particularly thofe that
were Officers in the Scots and Irijh Forces : But
his Cabinet Council were the Lord Broghill, Dr.
Wilkins, and Col. Philip 'Jones? To thefe he might
have added Mr. Commiilioner Wbitlocke ; who, as
himfelf writes, was of this Cabinet Council, and
always declared his Judgment honeftly, and for the
Good of Richard^ whenever his Advice was requi-
red.
But as it hath been hitherto our Cuftom not to
content ourfelves with Abridgements, but when-
ever we could find the Originals, to give them at
large, we fubjoin the following Petition, taken from
a Pamphlet of thefe Times, in our Collection.
To his Highnefs RICHARD, Lord Protestor cf the
Commonwealth ^/England, Scotland, and Ireland,
and the Dominions and Territories thereunto be-
longing,
The humble REPRESENTATION and PETITION of
the General Council of the Oncers of 'the Armies of
England, Scotland, and Ireland.
The Army's Pe-' TJAving, as Members of the Army, often fo-
titiontothpPro-t Jrj_ lemnly declared, not without Appeals to
or* « God for our Sincerity therein, That we did en-
' gage, in Judgment and Confcience3 for the juft
4 Rights
Of E N G L A N D. 341
c Rights and Liberties, Civil and Religious, of our Inter-regnum.
' Countries, and not as a mercenary Army : Had .^5 ^ ^
* we not been very jealous of our Reputation, and A ry
' careful to avoid Sufpicion, which our many Adver-
e faries have endeavoured to bring upon us, as if we
' were apt to intermeddle with Matters not relating
* to an Army, we had, before this Time, made
'joint and public Application to your Highnefs ;
' therein fetting forth what immediately concerns
' ourfelves, with reipeil to the crying Neceffities of
' the Armies, for want of Pay ; and withall to have
' munifefted our fervent Dellres, that our good
* Caufe, in the Behalf of thelc Nations, might have
' received renewed Strength and Countenance from
* your Highnefs and this prefent Parliament.
* But your Highnefs is our Witnefs, how peace-
' ably, how filently, we have fuftered, as to what
' concerns the Armies Wants ; or what might
* otherwife become us, in the Behalf of thefc Na-
' tions, to have laid before your Highnefs.
* Yea, we have been filent fo long, that we fear
' it has been a Difadvantage to our Caufe, and bred,
* though we hope groundlefs, Jealoufies of us in
' many of our Friends ; and untill we, and all that
* is dear to us, and the Intereft we have fo long
* contended for, is in Danger to be loft; to the
* utter Ruin and Subverfion of your Highnefs, to-
' gether with the Peace and Welfare of thefe Na-
4 tions. But being now, under the Senfe of immi-
' nent Dangers and Neceffities, awakened ; and alfo
' finding that your Highnefs, by the fitting of this
' Parliament, is in a Capacity to provide againft the
' approaching Danger ; and upon Confultation with
' each other, and communicating what has come
' to our Knowledge of public Concernment, and
* the prefent State of the Armies, having unani-
' moufly agreed it to be our Duty to God, to your
* Highnefs, and our Fidelity to our Country, fub-
* miflively, and as becomes us in our Stations, to
* make our Application to your Highnefs, we hope
* it will not be interpreted an Interruption to any
* other public Concernments under Confideration ;
Y 3 « and
342 tfhe Parliamentary HISTORY
tnter-regnum. < and do therefore, in a deep Senfe of Mifery and
1 *' ' Judgment threatened, and Purfuance of our Duty,
' in all Humility, reprefent,
' That the good old Caufe againft Tyranny and
* intolerable Oppreffion, in Matters Civil and Reli-
* gious, whereupon we firft engaged, and unto which
' the Lord hath, in fuch a continued Series of Provi-
' dence, given fo fignal a Teftimony, and for the car-
* rying on whereof there hath been fuch a plentiful
* pouring forth of Treafures, Prayers, Tears, and
' Blood, during the late War, (in the Difficulties and
c Dangers whereof we alfo, the living Monuments of
' Patience and Mercy, have had our Shares) is very
* frequently and publickJy derided and reproached ;
* and the implacable Adverfaries thereof promife
* themfelves to be fo far in Pofleflion and Matters
' thereof, that they begin to appear every where
* vifible amongft us, and to mix themfelves in the
* midft of thofe Places where that Caufe was wont
* to receive its chiefeft Countenance and Shelter.
* Many old Cavaliers, and Officers under the late
* King, and Charles Stuart, his Son, having lately
* transported themfelves out of Flanders and other
* Places into this Nation, have their frequent Meet-
« ings in and near the City of London. Thofe who alfo
* ferved under the late King, and fuch as have al-
* ways {hewed themfelves difaffe&ed to that famous
' Long Parliament, and ever fince to the Caufe and
' Intereft of this Commonwealth, and leek the Ruin
* of this prefent Government, have their frequent
* Meetings in feveral Counties of this Nation; grow
* very infolent, offer many Affronts and Aflaults tQ
< fuch as have been and are faithful Servants to this
* Commonwealth. Papers are fcattered up and
< down, containing Lifts of eminent AiTerters of the
* public Intereft of this Nation, fuch as were the
* actual Triers of the late King, and by whom he
* was brought to condign Punifhment, as if they
*- were defigned and marked out for Deftrudion.
* Encouragement is taken for the Profecution of fe-
* veral well -affected Perfons, and Suits commenced
* againft them at the Common Law, for.Matters by
* them
Of E N G L A N D. 343
* them tranfadtcd as Soldiers, by Command from Inter-regnum.
* their Superiors, in order to the Safety and Sccu-
c rity of the Nations. The famous A£tions of the
* Parliament, his late Highnefs of bleflcd Memory,
* and the Army in and fince the Year 1648, vilified
* and evil fpoken of j particular Perfons frequently
* daring to fpealc againft the Authority of Parlia-
* ment, and to call all their Proceedings, and of
' fuch as acted in Obedience to them, illegal and
* unwarrantable. So that, upon the whole, we
* evidently fee there is but even a Step betwixt the
' Public Caufe of thefe Nations, wherein we have
' been fo fignally blefled and owned of God and
* good Men, and the Death thereof; and that it is
* not likely to expire without a fure Prefage of the
« fad Funerals of the dear, and never-to-be-enough
* valued, Peace of thefe our native Countries.
* And that our Enemies may want nothing that
' can ftrengthen their Hopes, it fo happens that the
* Armies are already under great Extremities for
' want of Pay, and notwithstanding their Condition
' hath been reprefented, yet no effectual Remedy
' hath been applied ; our Enemies may hope Dif-
* content will be the more eafily raifed, if the Ar-
' mies mould unavoidably be neceffitated upon Free
* Quarter. Divifions in the Armies have been at-
' tempted and well near effected, when their Wants
* have not been like to what is now upon them :
' The Officers Purfes being generally emptied by
* their Loans to the Soldiers, their Credits to the
' Victuallers extended to the utmoft ; the poor Sol-
* dicr fometimes inforced to fell his expected Pay
* much under the Value thereof, for ready Money
* to buy Bread ; and the great and unufual Morta-
* lity of Horfes in the Army (infomuch that many
« Troopers have been forced to buy twice over)
4 having brought the Horfe of this Army under ex-
* ceeding great Extremities : And as by thefe Means
* the Adverfaries to the Peace, Settlement, Profperity,
' Civil and Religious Liberty of thefe Nations, are
' grown very confident and high in their Expedta-
* tions and Attempts, (and, as we are perfuaded,
* ready
344 ^ Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter -regnum, ' ready to betake themfelves to their Arms again) fo
16 59- ' likewife many Friends thereof are exceedingly dif-
« couraged.
* We cannot but bewail our own great Failings
' and Turnings afide, and whenever we have back-
' fliden, we have Caufe, and defire, to take Shame
4 to ourfelves : And do therefore, for the ftrength-
' cning of your Highnefs and Parliament, for the re-
' viving the Hearts of our faithful Friends, and the
c Vindication of our own Integrity againft all Cen-
' fures and Jealoufies, afiert, That we are now, as
' ever, equally endeared to our good old Caufe, and
* utter Enemies to all Tyranny, Oppreflion, and Di-
' fturbance of the Public Peace, under what Pretences
' foever: And, thro' the Lord's Afliftance, refolved,
' whilft our Lives and prefent Capacities are con-
* tinued to us, to ftand by and affift your Highnefs
* and Parliament, in the plucking the Wicked out
' of their Places, wherefoever they may be difco-
* vered, either amongft ourfelves or any other Places
* of Truft ; the Reformation of Law and Manners,
' fo frequently declared for, and fo earneftly ex-
* pedted, by all fober and unbiaffed Men ; opening
' the Courfe of Juftice and Bowels of Mercy, en-
' couraging the Ways of Holinefs, and putting a
* Stop to- the Inundation of Malignancy and Pro-
' fanenefs.
' All which, as it hath been, in Duty and Faith-
c fulnefs, by us reprefented, fo we humbly pray,
' That your Highnefs, taking into your ferious
' Confideration the fad Condition of the Armies,
* and Danger of the Nations, both from the great
* Want of Pay and the Activity of our common
* Enemy, will be pleafed to reprefent thefe Things,
* which we have herein laid before your Highnefs,
* to the Parliament, with our humble Dtfire and
* Prayer, that a fpeedy Supply be made for the Ar-
f mies ; that their paft Arrear may be fatisfied, and
' Care taken for their conftant future Pay, fo long
* as it {hall be thought fit to continue them ; as alfo
* that Satisfaction be given to the Militia Forces j
* and that there may be fuch a public Afferting of
' our
Of E N G L A N D. 345
* our good old Caufe, and Juftification and Con- /nter-regmim.
4 firmation of all Proceedings in Profecution and 1659-
' Maintenance thereof, and Declaration againft its ^ ~**m~'*4
' Enemies, as may, for the future, deter all Perfons A?rii'
* from (peaking or attempting any thing to the Pre-
< judice thereof, or of the Perfons that have acted
* "in Profecution of it, and afford prefent Security to
' the Civil and Religious Rights and Liberties of
* thefe Nations, and the Peace thereof; and that
* the Liberty of good and well affe&ed People, in
* repairing with Freedom to their Meetings for the
* Worihip of God (of late much violated by inditing
' and iniprifoning many of their Perfons) may be
« itiJJ aflerted and vindicated,'
Now to proceed with the Journals : — —
From the gth to the I3th of April the Commons
were again bufy about the Public Revenue, and
examining the Farmers of it in various Branches,
which we omit, as not much to our Purpofe ; and
becaule all their Inquifitions ended in doing nothing.
Some other Bufmefs was alfo entered into, but of as
Jittle Confequence as the other, till
April 14. When it was refolved, * That a Mem-
ber of this Houfe be appointed to carry the Decla-
tion, concerning the Public Faft, to the Perfons fit-
ting in the Other Houfe, for their Concurrence.'
Mr. Grove was the Member agreed on for that
Office ; but, before he went up, a Queftion was
put, ' Whether Mr. Grove^ when he had delivered
this Meflage to the Perfons fitting in the Other
Houfe, (hall return to this Houfe without flaying
for any Anfwer .'* The Houfe divided, and the
Numbers were found to be 100 for, and 144 againft
it.
Mr. Grove being returned from the Other Houfe,
gave this Account of his EmbafTy, « That, in Obe-
dience to the Commands of this Houfe, he had de-
livered to them in the Other Houfe, the Declara-
tion for a Public Faft, for their Concurrence there-
unto:
346 *Tbe Parliamentary HISTORY
Intcr-regnum. unto : That, a little Time after himfelf and other
1659. Members of this Houfe, who accompanied him to
v*»v*»J deliver his Meflage, and went with him into the
April. Other Houfe, were withdrawn, they were called in
again, and received this Anfwer from them of the
Other Koufe, ' That they would fend an Anfwer
by Meflengers of their own.'
April 15. The Members being met in the Houfe
this Morning, and the Mace placed below, under
the Table, they were informed, That Mr. Chaloner
Chute, who, at the firft Meeting of the Parliament,
was chofen their Speaker, was dead, Mr. Cooper,
the Minifter appointed to perform the Duty of
Prayer with the Houfe on Mornings, was called in
to Prayers ; and Prayer being ended, and the Mini-
fter withdrawn, the feveral Members, fitting in
their Places, confider'd of the Choice of a new
Speaker : And, upon Confideration of the Expe-
rience the Houfe had of the great Integrity and
Ability of Mr. Thomas Bampfield, who was called
to the Chair, to fupply the Speaker's Place during
the Abfence and Indifpofition of Mr. Chute , the late
Speaker, now dead, and what good Service he had
done the Houfe, efpecially in the Prefervation of the
antient Orders thereof, it was propounded to the
Houfe, That Mr. Bampfield might be continued in
their Service, and that he might be chofen Speaker
accordingly.
Mr. Bampfield, Handing up in his Place, firft ac-
knowledged to the Houfe the great Honour that was
put upon him, in calling him to the Chair before,
upon Mr. Speaker Chute's Sicknefs and Indifpofition ;
and endeavoured to excufe himfelf, upon the Reafons
of the Experience the Houfe had of his Unfitnefs for
their Service, and defired Mr. Edward Turner, a
Perfon of great Abilities, and Fitnefs for their Ser-
vice, might be chofen their Speaker : But Mr. Tho-
mas Bampfield being generally call'd on by the Houfe,
he was brought to the Chair by Sir Walter Erie
and Mr. Careiv Raleigh', and, being fet in the
Chair, and the Mace placed on the Table by the
Ser-
Of ENGLAND. 347
Serjeant, as is ufual, the Iloufc proceeded on their iMer- regnom.
Bulinefs as formerly. ,,^f— ' i
April 1 6. A Paper, written «n the Outfide there-
of with thefe Words, For the Speaker of the Com-
mons affembled in Parliament ; thefe art for him t»
read to the Houfe of Commons, was this Day read ;
and, upon the Reading thereof, the fame, amongft
other Things, referred to another Paper, intituled,
A Declaration to the Parliament, &c. delivered the
ttb Day of the fecond Month, called April, 1659,
to the then Speaker of the faid Haufe. The faid
Papers were prefented by certain Perfons, who arc
commonly called Quakers.
' Refolved, fcfr. That the Anfwer to be given t«
the Paper now read, and the Paper thereby referred
to, be as followeth, viz. That this Houfe hath read
their Paper, and doth declare their Diflike of the
Scandals thereby call upon Magiftracy and Miniftry,
and doth therefore oruer, That they do forthwith
refort to their rcfpc&ive Habitations, and there ap-
ply themfclves to their Callings, and fubmit them-
felves to the Laws of the Nation, and the Magiftra-
cy they live under.
The Queftion being put, That the Serjeant at
Arms attending this Houfe do return the aforefaid
Anfwer to the Perfons that prefented the aforefaid
Papers to the Houfe, it pafied with the Negative.
The Serjeant, by the Command of the Houfe,
was directed to call in Thomas Moore, John Crook9
and Edward Byllyng, three of the Perfons that
figned the Paper mentioned to be delivered the 6th
of this Inrtant April, to receive the faid Anfwer at
the Bar of the Houfe ; and to take off their Hats be-
fore they come within the Door of the Houfe : And,
Thomas Moore being abfent, the faid John Crock and
Edward Byllyng were brought in to the Bar, with
their Hats oft': And Mr. Speaker, by the Command
of the Houfe, declared to them, {landing at the Bar,
the aforefaid Anfwer accordingly.
* Refolved, faff. That the Clerk do take Care that
the Anfwer given by the Houfe this Day to the Pa-
pers
348 7he Parliamentary HISTORY
Tnter-regnum, pers prefented to the Houfe by the Perfons com-
* '' monly called Quakers, be forthwith printed.'
The Army now began to be formidable to the
two Houfes at Wejlminfter^ and therefore the Com-
mons thought proper to attack them in their Way,
and prevent, if poffible, their being turned out of
Doors, as their Predeceflbrs had been before them,
by thofe Red -Coat Patriots, who carry always the
Argumenium Baculinum along with them.
April 1 8. This Day, being Monday, the Houfe,
immediately after Prayers, ordered their Doors to
be (hut in, and none of the Members fuffered to go
out without Leave. A Queftion was then propofed
and put, ' That, during the fitting of the Parlia-
ment, there mail be no General Council, or Meet-
ings, of the Officers of the Army, without the Di-
reftion, Leave, and Authority, of his Highnefs the
Lord Protector and both Houfes of Parliament.' On
this Queftion the Houfe divided, and it was carried
in the Affirmative, 163 to 87. Another Refolution
was alfo agreed to, without any Divifion, * That
no Perfon (hall have, or continue, any Command or
Truft, in any of the Armies or Navies of England^
Scotland^ or Ireland^ or any the Dominions or Ter-
ritories thereunto belonging, who {hall refufe to
fubfcribe, That he will not difturb, nor interrupt,
the free Meetings in Parliament, of any the Mem-
bers of either Houfe of Parliament, or the Freedom
in their Debates and Counfels.' Refolved, alfo,
* That the Concurrence of the Other Houfe be de-
fired to thefe Votes ; and that Mr. John Stephens do
carry them to that Houfe.'
The Commons next voted, That they would
take into Confideration how the Arrears of the
Armies and Navies might be fpeedily fatisfied the
next Morning. They likewife ordered in a Bill,
For indemnifying all fuch as had acted under the
Parliament and Commonwealth. The Attorney
and Solicitor General to prepare and bring in the
fame. And the Houfe being then informed, That
divers
Of E N G L A N D. 349
divers People, who had been in Arms againft the Inter-rpgnu
Parliament, and other dangerous Perfons, had rcfort-
cd of late to the City of London, and Parts adjacent,
the Houfe referred it to a Committee, then named,
to propofe fome effectual Way, how his Highnefs,
the Parliament, and Nation, might be fecured
againft any Attempts from them. To meet about
the fame, at Six o'Clock this Evening, in the Speak-
er's Chamber.
The next Day, April 19, Mr. Annejley^ from
the aforefaid Committee, delivered in a Declara-
tion, ready drawn, to the Houfe, requiring all fuch
dangerous Perfons to depart the Cities of London
and Weftminfttr^ and late Lines of Communica-
tion, to the Diftance of twenty Miles. This was
read firft, intirely, and afterwards, in Parts j and it
was after, with fome Amendments and Alterations,
agreed to by the Houfe.
Mr. Stephens reported the Anfwer from the Other
Houfe to the Votes he carried up to them, the
Day before, * That they would take the fame into
Confideration, and return an Anfwer thereunto by
Meflengers of their own.' But no Anfwer to any
of thefe Matters, fo fent up to the Other Houfe,
ever came from them again j for,
April 20, and the Day after, we find nothing of
it in the Journals ; the Commons bufying themfelves
in fettling the Public Revenue ; except agreeing up-
on a Title to a lat« Declaration, which feems to
have been forgot before j and,
April 22. After appointing a Committee to at-
tend his Highnefs to defire him to pay Mr. Cowpert
their Minifter, Fifty Pounds, for his great Labour
and Pains in performing the Duty of Prayer daily
in the Houfe, fince the Meeting of this Parliament,
the Houfe feems to be in a great Buftle. But what
is faid of it in the Journals is only this, ' That the
Houfe taking Notice, that fome of their Members
went
350 ¥he Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter- reg num. went out of the Houfe, it was ordered, That thoie
Gentlemen, who now went out, fhould be called in
*-~ 7^7 ^ again to give their Attendance in the Houfe. Alfo,
That none of the Members do depart without Leave
of the Houie ; and that all Strangers be commanded,
forthwith, to depart out of thelyobby, or outward
Room, before the Parliament Door; and that none
but fuch as are Members be fuffered to come in,
and the Door of the faid outward Room be kept
fliut. Laftly, it was refolved, That this Houfe be
adjourned untill Monday Morning next, the 25th
Inftant ; and was adjourned accordingly.'
In the mean Time the following Proclamation
Was publifhed for their Difiblution.
By the Lord ProteSior.
* "T T THereas we fummoned our High Court of
* \\ Parliament to aflemble and meet together
* at our City of Weftminjler? the 2yth of "January
4 laft, which hath continued untill this prefent Day;
* and whereas we did, by our Commiifton under the
' Great Seal of England^ bearing Date at IFfftmin-
*Jler this prefent 22d Day of April, for divers weigh-
* ty Reafons, declare our Pleafure and Refolution to
* diflblve the faid Parliament ; and to that End did
' thereby conftitute and appoint our Right Trufty and
' Well- beloved Counfellor Nathaniel Fiennes, one
' of the Lord Keepers of our Great Seal of England^
' and others ourCommifiioners, in our Names, this
* faid prefent 22d Day of April? to diflblve our faid
' Parliament, which was by them done according
* to the Tenor of the faid Commiflion, in the ufual
* Place ; and by Virtue thereof our Parliament is
* abfolutely diflolved ; neverthelefs we thought it
< neceflary, with the Advice of our Privy Council, by
* this our Proclamation, topublifh and make known
« the fame, to the End all Perfons whom it may
* concern may take Notice thereof.
Given at Whitehall the 22d «/ April, Anno 1659.
Thefe confufed Hints are all the Journals afford
us relating to the DHTolution of this Parliament ; a
Of ENGLAND. 351
Cataftrophe, which abfolutely put an End to Rich"
artfs (hort-liv'd Empire, and greatly paved the Way
for the enfuing Reiteration of the Royal Family.
A particular Inquifition, therefore, is very neceflaryj
in this Place, into the Memorialifts, Hiftorians,
and old Pamphlets of thofe Times, in order to clear
up thefe obftrufe Affairs, never yet thoroughly in-
veftigated.
To begin then : The Heats and Animofitics be-
tween the two Houfes were the principal Caufe of
this fmall Revolution ; for had the Houfe of Com-
mons gone upon raifmg of Money, to fatisfy thtf
greedy Appetites of the Soldiery, inftead of quarrel-
ling with one another, and difputing the Legality of
the Other Houfe, the Army would never have re-
belled againft them, and, once more, turned them
out of Doors. IVbitlocke tells us, ' That it was Ha-
filriggt and Nevile, and their Party, who laboured
to overthrow the Government by a Protector and
two Houfes of Parliament, and bring in, what they
called, a free Commonwealth : That feveral Officers
of the Army, particularly Dejborough, Fleetwood^
and Lambert, joined with them in this Work. He
adds, That Richard advifed with him, and others
of his Privy Council, whether it was fit to diflblve
this Parliament or not. Moft of them were for it,
but Whitlocke doubted the Succefs of it, and wiflied
a little longer Permiffion to their Sitting ; efpecially
now they had begun to confider of raifmg Money,
whereby they would foon engage the Soldiery, and
link them faft to their Intereft. But the Majority
was for diflblving the Parliament, urging for it the
prefent Dangers from the Cavaliers, who now flock'd
to London, and, under-hand, fomented Divifions in
the State : So that, by Commiflion under the Broad
Seal to Fiennes and others, this Parliament was
diflblved, and a Proclamation afterwards publiftied
to declare it ; which caufed, he fays, much Trou-
ble in the Minds of many honeft Men ; but the Ca-
valiers and Republicans rejoiced at it.
Thus fpeaks this very honeft Man Mr. Whitlocke ;
and it is eafy t» fee by it, That he dreaded any more
Coo-
3 5 2 7/k* Parliamentary Hi s T OR V
Inter-r:snuin. Convulfions in the State, left the Government of it
1659- fhould be at laft thrown on its old Hinges, and he
*-""^/"7"1"^ Jofe the lucrative Pofts he had fo Jong enjoyed. But,
p pow hear what his Antagonist, in Politics, though
equally averfe to the Royal Caufe, fays in this Mat-
ter.
Ludlow, after giving the Names of the principal
Readers of the three Parties, at this Time, as is al-
ready mentioned, proceeds to tell us, * That the
Differences between thofe Parties, being very great,
were yet much increafed by the following Acci-
dents.
* Col. Whalley, whom Richard had lately made
Commifiary-General of the Horfe, meeting with
Col. AJbfield in Weftminfter-HaU* and difcourfmg
with him concerning the Other Houfe, about which
their Sentiments were very different, the Com-
mifiary-General fell into fuch a Paffion, that he
threatened to ftrike the Colonel ; who thereupon
daring him to do it, Wkalley chofe rather to make
his Complaint to Mr. Richard Cromwell. Col.
AJhf.eld being fummoned to appear, the pretended
Protestor threatened to cafhier him as a Mutineer,
for fpeaking in fuch a Manner to a General Officer
of the Army. But the Colonel defiring a fair and
equal Hearing by a Council of Officers, he was or-
dered to attend again. At the Time appointed it
was contrived that Col. Cough, Col. fhgaldjby, Col.
Howard, Lieut. Col. Goodrich^ and other Creatures
of the Court fhould be prefent to decide the Matter
in Difpute, who unanimoufly enjoined Col. AJhfieltl
to acknowledge his Fault, and to aflc the Com-
milTary-Generars Pardon for the fame : But their
Endeavours herein proved ineffectual, for the Colo-
nel denying that he had offended the Commiflary-
General, refufed to defire his Pardon. Another
Thing happened about the fame Time that proved
very difadvantageous to the Irr^reft of Mr. Richard
Cromwell: For a certain inferior Officer having
publickly murmured at the Advancement of fome,
that had been Cavaliers, to Commands in the Army,
<9f ENGLAND. 353
he was carried to Whitehall to anfwer for the fame. Inter-rtgmim.
Mr. Richard Cromwell, bcfides other reproachful l659-
Language, afked him, in a deriding Manner, Whe- <—TvT^"^
ther he would have him prefer none but thofe that
Were godly ? Here, continued he, is Diclc Ingoldlby,
who can neither pray nor preach, and yet I will truji
him before ysu all. Thofe imprudent, as well as ir-
religious Words, fo clearly difcovering the Frame
and Temper of his Mind, were foon publifhed in
the Army and City of London, to his great Preju-
dice. And from this Time all Men among them,
who made but the leaft Pretences to Religion and
Sobriety, began to think themfelves unfafe whilft
he governed, and thereupon foon formed a Refolu-
tion to ufe their utmoft Endeavours to divide the
Military from the Civil Power, and to place the
Command of the Army in Lieut. Gen. FleeiwoodC
Our Memorialift goes on with a long Account of
his own Tranfa&ions with the Army at Wallingford-
Houfe, not much to our Purpofe, but it tended al-
together to form a Party, on the old Republican
Scheme, who were working Richard's Downfall.
Then he proceeds, and fays, ' In the mean Time
Mr. Cromwell and his Party were exceedingly
alarmed at thefe Proceedings ; and, not daring to
truft to their own Authority in this Matter, they
contrived it fo as to engage the Parliament in their
Defence. Accordingly fomc Members of the
Commons Houfe charged the Council with muti-
nous Words there fpokcn againft the Government,
and againft the Refolutions of the Parliament itfelf.
This Accufation was fo well feconded, that the
Houfe refolved to diffipate the Storm, and to that
End pafled a Vote, That the Officers of the Army
Should no more meet as a General Council. Yet
for all this they met again at the Time appointed,
in order to proceed in their Defign : But the Houfe
having Notice of it, and being very defirous to
enable Mr. Cromwell to make their Vote effectual,
declared him to be General of their Army, authori-
zing him to diipcrfe the Officers to their refpective
Charges; to remove from their Commands fuch as
VOL. XXI. Z fhould
354 Tl>e Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. fhould difobey, and to place others in the room of
l659- them. They alfo voted it to be High Treafon in
^-"7vr?*1' the Officers to meet in Council contrary to their
p" ' Order, and promifed to caufe the Arrears of thofe
that fhould yield Obedience, to be forthwith paid,
with Aflurances to take Care of them for the
future. Mr. Richard Cromwell having Notice of
thefe Votes, immediately went to the Place where
the Council of Officers was aflembled ; and having
informed them of what had patted, he told them that
he expected their prefent Obedience. The Officers
not being then prepared to difpute his Commands,
withdrew themfelves j but the chief of them conti-
nued their Meetings in a more private Manner,
making Ufe of all Means imaginable to oblige Mr.
Richard Cromwell to a Compliance with them j but
he relying on the Strength of his new Friends, re-
fufed to hearken to them ; fo that they perceived it
to be high Time to provide for the Security of
themfelves. Information being given at Court that
fomething extraordinary was in Agitation, the Pro-
tector Richard fent a Meflage to Lieutenant-General
Fleetivood to come to him j but the MefTenger re-
turned without an Anfwer. Then he ordered fome
of the Guard to be fent for him ; but they defired to
be excufed. The Lieutenant -General having No-
lice of this Defign, retired to St. James's, where
many Officers of the Army reforting to him, it was
concluded between them, that the whole Army
fhould rendezvous at St. James's. The News of
this Refolution being brought to M.r.Cromwel/, he
alfo appointed a Counter-Rendezvous to be at the
fame Time at Whitehall. Accordingly Col. Gougb
fent Orders for his Regiment to march toWlntehall ';
but the Major had already prevailed with them to
draw to St. James's. Three Troops of Col. Ifl-
goldjbfs Horfe marched alfo to St. James's^ with
part of two more ; fo that he had only one entire
Troop of his Regiment to ftand by him. Co!.
Whalley's Regiment of Horfe for the moft part left
him, and went off to St. James's ; which he feeing,
opened his Breaft, and defired them to Ihoot him.
Of E N G L A N D. 355
Col. Hacker's Regiment of IJorfe being drawn up lutcr-regauia.
near Cheapfide^ Mr. Cromwell fent a MeiTage to the .f 5_
Colonel, with an Order to require him forthwith to "
march to JWritehall; but he excufed himfelf, and
faid he had received Orders from Lieutenant-Ge-
neral Fleetwood to keep that Poft. Many allb of
Richard's own Guard went to St. James's^ and
moft of thofe that ftaid with him, declared they
would not oppofe any that fhould come to them by
Order from Lieutenant- General Fleetwood. Thus
here was a General without an Army, and divers
great Officers without Soldiers; who, having boafted
of their Intereft in the Army, and having thereby
led the Houfe into their late rafh Proceedings, now
being utterly difappointed in their Hopes and Ex-
pectations, knew not what to advife, or what to do.
About Noon Col. Dejborough went to Mr. Richard
Cromwell* at Whitehall^ and told him that if he
would diflblve his Parliament, the Officers would
take Care of him ; but that, if he refufed fo to do,
they would do it without him, and leave him to
fhift for himfelf. Having taken a little Time to
confider of it, and finding no other Way left to do
better, he confented to what was demanded. This
great Alteration was made with fo little Noife, that
very few were alarmed at it. The next Morning
the Houfe met, and divers Members made extrava-
gant Motions, rather, as was fuppofed, to vent their
own Paffions, than from any Hopes of Succcfs : For
whatever were the Refolutions that had been made
by the Court Junto, they could not fuddenly be
brought to a Vote, becaufe the contrary Party was
confiderably increafed by this Change of Affairs.
Few of the Houfe knew of the Refolution taken to
put a Period to them, or, if they did, were unwilling
to take Notice of it ; fo that when the Ufhcr of the
Black Rod, who attended the Other Houfe, came
to let the Serjeant at Arms know that it was the
Pleafure of the Protector that the Houfe of Com-
mons fhould attend him at the Other Houfe, many
«f them were unwilling to admit the Serjeant into
the Houfe to deliver the Meflagej but the Com-
Z 2 monwealth
356 *The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. monwealth Party demanded, and obtained, that he
l6S9- fhould give the Houfe an Account of what the Gen*
.*—7v~' tleman of the Black Rod had faid to him. The
pn ' Aflembly being under this Confufion, adjourned
themlelves till Eight o'Clock the next Morning ; but
Care was taken to prevent their meeting again, by
publifhing a Proclamation, declaring them to be
difiblved, by fetting a Padlock on the Door of the
Houfe, and by placing a Guard in the Court of
Requefts, with Orders to refufe Admittance to all
thofe that fhould demand it.'
Amongft the many Pamphlets, printed and pub-
lifhed in thefe Times, and are in our Collection,
two of them give fuccin& and clear Accounts of
thefe Proceedings. The one of them called A true
and Impartial Narrative ^ is before quoted ; and we
beg Leave to add another Quotation from the fame
Authority.
* On the 22d of April \he Black Rod came to the
Door to have Entrance. The Serjeant, who fhould
have done no more than acquainted the Houfe that
fuch a Meflenger was at the Door, acquainted them
with his Meflage, viz. That, by Order of the Pro-
teclor, the Speaker of the Other Houfe fent to the
Houfe of Commons to come with their Speaker to
them in the Other Houfe j which the Houfe recei-
ved generally with great Indignation and Scorn,
fome faying, They were the Upper Houfe j and fo,
without receiving the Meflenger, the Houfe ad-
journed till Monday the 25th of April : But the
next Day the pretended Protestor diflblved the pre-
tended Parliament by a Proclamation.'
The other old Pamphlet is called England's Con-
fufion, &c. and, though not fo tedious as the former
Account, is as circumftantial in the Matter to the
full.
« Whilft the Houfe fpent the reft of their Time
in confidering how to provide Money, without lay-
ing new Burdens on the People, great Contefts
grew
Of ENGLAND. 357
grew between the Protestor and the oppofite Officers Intcr-regnum.
of the Army, both Sides keeping Guards Night and l659-
Day againft one another, the Protestor having, in v-"""v~^1
purfuance of the Votes of the Houfe, forbidden the Ap
Meetings of the Officers.
' In this divided Pofturc, Affairs continued untill
Friday the 22d of April ; on which Morning early
Fleetwood the Protestor's Brother, Dejborough his
Uncle, and the reft of the mutinous Officers, carry-
ing the greater Part of the Army after them, and the
Protedtor's Party flinching, the Conqueft was made
without one Drop of Blood, which, fays our Autho-
rity, was ftrange in fo antient, hereditary, juft, and
undoubted a Title) and the Protestor forced to con-
fent to a Commiffion and Proclamation ready prepa-
red, giving Defborov.gb and others Power to dhTolve
the Parliament, contrary to the belt Advice, and his
ownlnterell and Promife. And accordingly, the fame
Day, the Black Rod was fent twice to the Houfe of
Commons (from Fiennes* Speaker of the Other
Houfe) for them to come thither; but they admitted
him not in, and much fcorned the Motion, having
ever looked upon that Mufhroom Houfe as the
Lower Houfe and their own Creature, the Language
being to fend down to the Other Houfe, when they
lent the Declaration for a Faft for a Trial of tranf-
a£ting with them : And therefore, understanding there
were Guards of Horfe and Foot in the Palace-Yard9
after fome Motions made by Mr. Knightly, Sir Ar-
thur Hafilrigge, and others, wherein Sir Arthur ex-
ceeded,That the Houfe ftiould firft declare itTreafon
for any Perfons whatfoever to put Force upon any
Members of the Houfe ; and, next, That all Votes,
Acts, and Refolutions, parted by any Members of
Parliament, when the reft were detained from, or
taken out of, the Houfe by Force, fhould be null
and void ; and other Motions becoming Englijbmen
to that End ; judging themfelves under a Force, and
finding they were very unanimous, though near 400
in the Houfe, in the Things propofed, they refolved
on no Queftion ; but adjourned till Monday Morn-
ing the 25th of April, and attended the Speaker, in
Z 3
358 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. Order, thorough WeJlminjler-Hall to his Coach, in
l659» the Face of the Soldiery/
**nl* To clofe up all we can give relating to this
ftrange and fudden Revolution, take what follows
from the Memoirs of the Life and Death of Roger
Boyle, Lord Brogkill, afterwards created firft Earl of
Orrery. a
' Richard Cromwell fucceeded his Father for fome
Time, and called a Parliament. While the Par-
liament was fitting, he likewife gave a Commiffion
to Fleetwood and Dejborough, to hold a Council of
War at Walling f or d-Houfe^ to which Lord Erog-
bill received a Summons to come, as being a Ge-
neral Officer in the Irijh Army. He had no fooner
received the Summons, than his Lordfhip went to
Richard Cromwell, to know whether he had con-
fented to call a Council of War. Cromwell told
him he had. My Lord replied, He feared he would
repent it. Cromwell afked, Why? Becaufe they
would certainly work fome Mifchief againft him
and his Friends ; but as yet he knew not what it
was. Cromwell then defired his Lordfhip to do
what he could to prevent it. My Lord replied,
He would go amongft them, and fee what might
be done.
' The Day of the Council of War being come,
they all repaired to Walling j "or -d-Houfe, where were
above five hundred Officers; and, after a long
Prayer, (I think made by Dr. Owen) Col. Dejborough
flood up, juft over- againft Lord Broghill^ (who,
with the other General Officers, fat at a Table by
themfelves) and made a Speech of an Hour long ;
reprefenting how gracious the Lord had been to
them, and how profperous their Arms had been ;
which Profperity he feared would not continue, be •
caufe there were, fince their Peace and Quietnefs,
feveral Sons of Belial crept in amongft them, for
whofe Sakes there would be great Judgments upon.
the
3 Wrote by the Rev. Mr. Mcrrice, his Lordfliip's Chaplain, and
afterwards publiflied ia a Colle^iou of State Letters, Gfc. p. ZT,
London, Fol, 174*.
Of E N G L A N D. 359
the Array : And therefore he thought it would be Jnter-regnum.
convenient fome effectual Means fhould be made
ufe of, to purge the Army of them ; and the Means
that he propofed was a Teft, which every Perfon
in the Army fhould take ; and they who refufed
fhould be turned out. The Teft was this, ' That
* every one fhould fwear, they did believe, in
* their Confciences, that the putting to Death the
* late King, Charles Stuart, was lawful and juft/
This was the main Defign of his Speech ; which
when he had ended, he fat down, and a great many
cried out, Well moved! Lord Brogbill, who was
not to be furprifed on this or any other Occafion, as
fbon as Dejborough had done, flood up and decla-
red, he muft oppofe all Tefts put upon the Army,
both as a Thing that would enflave them, and as a
Thing they had pofitively declared againft ; for if
they once put Tefts upon themfclves, others would
quickly impofe Tefts upon them, and they would
be obliged to act againft their own Liberty of Con-
fcience, which thev had fo much fought and pleaded
for : But he was againft the Teft in particular that
was then propofed, becaufe it was unjuft and un-
reafonable, to require Men to fwear to the Law-
fulnefs of an Action, at the doing of which they
were not prefent ; for many, betides himfelf, were
not prefent when the late King was tried and put
to Death ; and how could they fwear to the Juftice
or Lawfulnefs of that which they did not, nor
could not, know ? But if they would have a Teft to
purge the Army, he thought he had as good a Right
to propofe one as another ; and therefore he offered
one more reafonable and lawful, which was, ' That
* all fhould be turned out of the Army, who would
* not fwear to defend the Government, as it is now
' eftablifhed under the Protector and Parliament.'
This was reafonable and lawful, becaufe it was to
maintain the prefent Government. In fine, he de-
clared, he was againft all Tefts, and for the Conti-
nuance of the Liberty of the Army : But if they
would be for a Teft, he was for that which he had
now
360 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jnter-regnum. now offered ; and if they would not pafs it in that
Council, but rather have the other, then he would
" move ic the next Day in Parliament, of which he
Was a Member, and there he was confident it would
pafs. Upon this all cried, Well moved! And while
they were in fome Kind of Murmur upon the Mo-
tion, my Lord, having Gaffe on the one Side of
him, and Major Wballey on the other, firft whifper'd
one in the Ear, and then the other, knowing they
were both of a hot Temper, and eafily moved ;
and did his Bufmefs fo effe&ually with them, that
they both fpoke fucceflively againft De/borcugb^
Teft, and declared for Lord Brog bill's. Upon
which Fleetwood, Defborough^ and others of the
Gang, went to confult by themfelves what was
beft to be done; and, after a little Confultation,
came again and told Lord Broghill, they had con-
iidered what his Lordftiip had faid, and had not feen
the ill Confequences of impofing Tefts on the Army,
till he had hinted them, but were now convinced ;
therefore they would not put it to the Vote whicli
of the two fhould pafs, but defired both might be
withdrawn ; which, with fome Reludlance, Lord
Broghlll confented to.
' His Lordfliip foon after gave Richard Cromwell
an Account of all that paffed, at which he was
overjoyed. My Lord then told Cromwell ', That
certainly the Council of War would do Mifchief,
if it fat any longer, and therefore advifed him forth-
with to diffolve it. Cromwell aflced how he might.
My Lord told him, if he pleafed he would draw up
a mort Speech for him, which he fhould the next
Morning fpeak to them : This Cromwell promifed
he would do. My Lord then drew up a Speech for
him to this Effect : That he accepted their Service
with all Thankfulnefs j that he had confidered what
did moft aggrieve them ; and that he thought the
beft and propereft Way to rcdrefs what was amifs
among them, was to do it in the Parliament then
fitting, of which moft of them were Members j and
therefore declared his Commiifion of holding that
Council null and void, and defired them all to go
to
Of E N G L A N D. 361
to their feveral Commands. This Speech my Lord Inter-regnuni,
gave to Cromwell that Night, who conn'd it over,
and had his Leflbn perfedt the next Day; and
accordingly, by Ten of the Clock, came to Wai-
lingford-Houfei and fat in a Chair of State among
them, which pleafed fome and troubled others;
and wjthin an Hour he rofe up, and delivered his
Speech ; which, though it was very mild, yet gave
great Diftafte to Fleetwood and his Party, but it
leems they guefled who was the Author of their
Diflblution ; and therefore, about three Days after,
Fleettvood and the General of the Army, with Def-
borongh and the reft of the Gang, came in a Body
into the Parliament, and, in the Name of the Army,
complained how much they had been abufed and
affronted by a certain Lord in that Afiembly, (look-
ing ftedfaftly upon Lord Broghill) defiring that they
might have Satisfaction ; requesting that-an Addrefs
might be made to his Highnefs the Lord Protestor,
intreating him to declare who it was that advifed
him to diflblve the Council of War, during the Sit-
ting of the Parliament, without the Parliament's
Knowledge or Confent. All then began to look
upon my Lord as the Party concerned, and fome
beckoned to him to be gone ; bat he fat ftill to jet
the Murmur be over ; and at laft rofe up, and
moved that, at the fame Time when this Addrefs
was made, another alfo might be prefented, to
know who advifed the calling a Council of War,
without the Knowledge or Confent of Parliament :
For if he be guilty, who advifed the Diflblution of
the Council without the Parliament's Confent, he
muft be much more guilty, who advifed the calling
of that Council without it. At this Motion they
all cried, Well moved ! and Fleetwood with the others
Went their Way.
' Lord Erogbill finding the Army were refolved
to ruin Richard Cromwell^ his Lordfhip advifed
Crotmvell to caft himfelf upon the City, and declare
for the King and a free Parliament; afluring him
he would find the City favour him that Way, and
by it he would make his Family for ever: But
Crom~
362 T&e Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. Cromwell would not comply with this Advice ; fo
1659. went on his own Way, till the Army depofed him,
and fet up for themfelves.'
Thefe Accounts from various Writers, we hope,
will fatisfy our Readers as to the main Circumftances
relative to the Diflblution of the laft Meeting. We
now proceed to fhew how Richard fteered his
Courfe without them j and we find that he and his
Council fat clofe to Bufmefs for fome Time, to
confult what was fit to be done : Though even
amongft thofe of his own Council, Mr. Wbitlocke
allures us, he had many Enemies both to himfelf
and Government. Deferted and forfaken thus by
both his Friends and Relations, what could poor Ri-
chard do to extricate himfelf from thefe Difficulties,
and maintain his Sovereignty ? No, he was entirely
laid afide, -though his Enemies were fo kind to him
as not to call him to Account for his ill Govern-
ment; but probably this Mercy proceeded more
from the defpicable Opinion they had of his Abili-
ties, than from any Mildnefs or Compaffion to him.
Richard^ 'tis confidently faid, lived many Years
after this in a private Station, both at home and
abroad, and reached fo advanced an Age as only to
to make his Exit in the Reign of the late Queen
Anne. But fome further Notice is taken of him in
the Sequel.
And now, as we have faid, the Army having once
more made themfelves Matters of the whole King-
dom, it was expected that another Oliver would
have ftarted from amongft them, and have govern'd
thefe Nations by Court-Martials and Major-Gene-
rals, as formerly. But no fingle Perfon could be
found equal to this Work ; and therefore the Re-
publican Party perfuaded the General Officers to
Join with them and recall the Members of the old
Parliament, whom they themfelves had forcibly
turned out in the Year 1653. Mr. Wbitlocke tells
us, ' That the Officers were advifed to confider
better of this Defign ; for that thofe Members were
much difcontented at their Proceedings under Crom-
well,
Of ENGLAND. 363
w/v//, and whether this Step would not probably Inter-regnum,
create more Divifions, and end in bringing in the l659-
King. U"7VT"*
But this Advice would not prevail ; the Officers p
were refolute to join with the Republican Party, in
lettering the Long Parliament and another Council
of State to their Rule and Governance, without a
Single Perfon. How this Affair was brought about,
the following Quotations and Abftra&s from the
fore-cited Authors and Papers will beft fhew :
Ludlow tells us, ' That before the Coalition was
entirely perfected between the principal Officers of
the Army and his Aflbciates, they had a Meet-
ing at Sir Henry Vane's Houfe, at Charing -Crofs ;
the Perfons of and from the Army were Major-Ge-
neral Lambert, Colonels John Jones, Kelfey, Berry%
C5V. Thofe of the Parliament were Sir Henry Vane%
Sir Arthur Hafilrigze, Major Salway, and himfelf.
The Things demanded by thofe of the Army were*
1. c To be fecured by an A<Sl of Indemnity for
what was paft.
2. ' That fome Provision of Power might be
made for Mr. Richard Cromwell, as well as for the
Payment of his Debts, and future Subfiftence in a
plentiful Manner, they having promifed to take
Care of him in thefe Particulars.
3. < That what fhould ftand in Need of Regula-
tion, both in the Law and Clergy, Ihould be re-
formed and amended.
4. c That the Government of the Nation fhould
be by a Reprefentative of the People, and by a felecl:
Senate.
' For the firjl, it was thought reafonable that
fomething of that Nature fhould be done, as well
to gratify thofe who (hould contribute to our Return,
as for our own future Peace and Quiet.
« Touching the fecond Proportion, concerning a
Provifion to be made for Mr. Richard Cromwell, we
faid, that though the Parliament and Nation had
been greatly injured by the Interruption they had
received, yet feeing thofe that were at prefent in
Pofleffion of the Power had engaged to make fome
Provifion
364 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Jater-regnum, Provifion for him, we were contented, for ourfelves,
1659. that thofe Debts which he had contracted on the
W.-J--J Public Account fhould be paid, that fo he might be
April, enabled to fubfift comfortably : But that we could
by no Means confent to continue any Part of his
)ate-aflumed Power to him ; neither could we be-
lieve that fuch a Propofition would ever be heark-
ened to by the Members of the Parliament, if they
fhould come together.
' The third Proportion was eafily agreed to, all
of us declaring that we would ufe the utmoft of our
Endeavours to rectify and reform whatfoever fhould
appear to be amifs either in Church or State.
« In the fourth Propofition we found a greater
Difficulty, not being all of the fame Opinion with
refpedl: to that Part of it relating to the Senate.
Whereupon finding that, out of a Defire to avoid
any thing that might prove an Obftruftion to the
Return of the Parliament, or poffibly from an In-
clination in fome to the Thing itfelf, there was an
Intention, by a general JSilence about that Matter,
to give them Hopes of our Compliance ; therefore,
that they might have no juft Occafion to fay here-
after that we had dealt doubly with them, keeping
fair in that Particular before our Admiffion, and
after we were admitted declaring againft it, I thought
it my Duty to let them know, that if, by a fele£l
Senate, they underftood a lafting Power, co-ordi-
nate with the Authority of the People's Reprefenta-
tive, and not chofen by the People, I could not
engage to promote the Eftablifhment of fuch a
Power, apprehending that it would prove a Means
to perpetuate our Differences, and make it neceflary
to keep up a ftanding Force to fupport it : But if
they propofed to ere£t fuch an Authority only for a
fhort Time, and in order to proceed with more
Vigour to an equal and juft Eftablifhment of the
Commonwealth, I prefumed it might be very ufeful,
and that the People would readily acquiefce, when it
fhould be evident that it was dcfigned to no other
End than to prevent them from deftroying them-
ielves, and not to enflave them to any Faction or
Party.
Of E N G L A N D. 365
Party. After four or five Hours Debate concerning Intcr-fcgtum.
thefe Particulars, we defired them to confider, that l659-
\vhatfoever had been faid -by us in this Conference, /T^T
ought only to be taken as proceeding from private
Men, and that we durft not prefume to promife any
thing on the Part of the Parliament: However, we
encouraged them to hope that, if we four joined in
propofing any thing in the Houfe for the Public
Good, we might probably bring it to Effect.
' At the Conclufion of our Converfation, Major-
General Lambert aflured us, that he would reprefent
to the General Council what had pafled between us
as fairly, and with as much Advantage, as we could
defire.
' After three or four Days the fame Company
met again at the fame Place, where thofe that were
employed by the Council of Officers declared the
Resolution of themfelves, and of thofe they repre-
fented, to be, That the Parliament mould be re-
ftored ; and thereupon prefled us that the Members
might meet with all poffible Expedition, being per-
fuaded that Delays, in a Matter of fuch Importance,
might hazard the Succefs of all : Therefore it was
refolved that Notice mould be given to fuch Mem-
bers as were in Town to meet, on the Thurfday
following, at Mr. Lenthall their Speaker's Houfe,
and that the Officers of the Army mould come
thither, and there acquaint us with the Defires of
the Army.
* At the Time appointed about fixteen of us went
to the Speaker's Houfe, and having informed him
of the Caufe of our coming, he began to make
many trifling Excufes, pleading his Age, Sicknefs,
and Inability to At long. Soon after the Committee
from the General Council came, and Major-General
Lambert, in the Name of the reft, acquainted the
Speaker, That, in order to reconcile our Differences,
and to unite all thofe that were well affected to the
Public, it was the Defire of the Army that the
Parliament would return to the Difcharge of their
Duty, according to the Truft repofed in them by
the People of England -, promifing to ftand by them,
and
April.
366 The Parliamentary HISTORY
-rtgnum. and ferve them to the utmoft of their Power. The
1659- Speaker had been lately at Court, where they
' h^ prevailed with him to endeavour to render this
Defign, which they feared above all Things, inef-
fectual ; and, on the other Hand, being unwilling
to lofe his late- acquired Peerage, renewed his for-
mer Excufes ; with this Addition, that he was not
fully fatisfied that the Death of the late King had
not put an End to the Parliament. To this it was
anfwered, That, by a Lav/ made by an undifputed
Authority, the Parliament could not be diiTolved
without their own Confent, which had never yet
been given : And therefore they defired him, as he
valued the Peace and Happinefs of the Nation, to
fend his Letters to fuch Members as were about the
Town, requiring them to meet the next Morning in
the Houfe of Lords, in order to relume their Places
in the Houfe of Commons, fo foon as they might
make up a Quorum. He replied, That he could by
no Means do as we defired, having appointed a
Bufmefs of far greater Importance to himfelf, which
he would not omit on any Account, becaufe it
concerned the Salvation of his Soul. We then
prefled him to inform us what it might be : To
which he anfwered, That he was preparing himfelf
to participate of the Lord's Supper, which he
refolved to take on the next Lord's Day. Upon
this it was replied, That Mercy is more acceptable
to God than Sacrifice, and that he could not better
prepare himfelf for the forefaid Duty, than by con-
tributing to the Public Good. But he refolving to
perform fome Part of his Promife to Mr. Richard
Cromwell? would not be perfuaded to fend Letters
to the Members, as it was defired : So that we found
ourfelves obliged to tell him, That the Service of
the Public had" been too long obftrucled by the Will
of fmgle Perfons ; and that, if he refufed to ifiue
out his Letters to the Members, we would caufe it
to be done by other Means : And thereupon gave
Orders to fuch Clerks as we then had there ready
for that Purpofe, tp draw Directions for the Mef-
feneers who were to fummpn the Members, and to
6 divide
Of E N G L A N D. 367
divide the Lift amongft them, in fuch a Manner as Inter-regnuaj.
might beft provide for the Expedition of the Bunnefs. J 659-
« In the Morning about thirty Members being *— ' T^T""*
come, and the Number increafing continually, the
Speaker, who had appointed Spies to bring him
Word whether we might probably make up a
Houfe or not, being informed that we wanted not
above three or four, notwithftanding the Salvation
of his Soul, thought it Time to come to us, and
foon after the requifite Number was compleated.
* About Twelve o'Clock we went to take our
Places in the Houfe, Mr. Lenthall^ our Speaker,
leading the Way, and the Officers of the Army
lining the Rooms for us as we patted through the
Painted-Chamber, the Court of Requefts, and the
Lobby itfelf, the principal Officers having placed
themielves neareft to the Door of the Parliament-
Houfe, every one feeming to rejoice at our Reftitu-
tion, and promifmg to live and die with us.'
But this laft Author does not acquaint us, that,
the Day before the old Members went to take their
Places in the Houfe, the following Declaration was
publilhed, called
A DECLARATION of the OFFICERS of the ARMY,
inviting the Members of the Long Parliamenty
who continued fitting till the 20th of April, 1653,
to return to the Exercife and Difcharge of their
Trtijl. s
c fT^HE public Concernments of this Common- The Army*«
« 1 wealth being, thro' a Viciffitude of Da
« gers, Deliverances, and Backflidings of many,
* brought into that State and Pofture wherein they
' now ftand ; and ourfelves alfo contributing there-
c unto, by wandering divers Ways from righteous
* and equal Paths ; and although there hath been
' many Eflays to obviate the Dangers, and to fettle
* thefe Nations in Peace and Profperity, yet all have
* proved ineffc&ual ; the 'only wife God, in the
4 Courfe
* Londtn, printed by Henry Ilillt, for him and William MeunfforJ,
368 *ffje Parliamentary HISTORY
fflter-regnum. « Courfe of his Providence, difappointing all En-
* deavours therein :
' And alfo obferving, to our great Grief, that the
* good Spirit which formerly appeared amongft usj
* in the carrying on of this great Work, did daily
* decline, fo as the good old Caufe itfelf became a
* Reproach ; we have been led to look back, and
* examine the Caufe of the Lord's withdrawing his
* wonted Prefence from us, and where we turned
c out of the Way, that, thro' Mercy, we might re-
' turn and give him the Glory.
* And, amongft other Things, calling to Mind,
* that the Long Parliament, confiding of the Mem-
* bers which continued there fitting untill the aoth
* of April, 1653, were eminent Aflerters of that
' Caufe, and had a fpecial Prefence of God with
* them, and were fignally blefied in that Work,
* (the Defires of many good People concurring with
' ours therein) we judge it our Duty to invite the
' aforefaid Members to return to the Exercife and
* Difcharge of their Truft, as before the faid 2Oth
* of April, 1653.
' And therefore we do hereby moft earneftly de-
* fire the Parliament, confifting of thofe Members
' who continued to fit fince the Year 1648, untill
* the 2oth of April, 1653, to return to the Exercife
* and Difeharge of their Truft, and we fhall be
' ready, in our Places, to yield them, as becomes
* us, our utmoft Afiiftance to lit in Safety ; for the
* improving the prefent Opportunity for fettling and
' fecuring the Peace and Freedom of this Common-
' wealth ; praying for the Prefence and Blefling of
* God upon their Endeavours.
Signed^ by DireRion 6f the Lord Fleetwood and
the Council of Officers of the Army,
May 6, i659. THO. SANDFORD, See.
Which Declaration was this Day prefented to th«
Speaker by
Lord Lambert^ Lord Cooper,
Lord Btrry9 Sir Arthur Hafilriggf*,
Of E N G L A N D. 369
Major-General Z,/Y£«r«*f Major-General Haynes, inter-regrium.
Colonel AJhfield, Lieutenant-Colonel Al- 1659.
Colonel Salmon, len, ^—^-^J
Sir "Jeremy Sankey, Major Packer, ^^'
Major-General Kelfey, Lieutenant-ColonelP;Vr-
Colonel Obey, fan.
Captain Blackwell,
We have yet another old Pamphleteer to confult,
the Writer of England's Confujion, £sV. as befor«
quoted. This Writer has (drawn up, in a very
humorous Way, a brief Account of thefe extraor-
dinary Proceedings ; and, in as extraordinary a
Manner, has left us the following Detail of them : tt
' After the Officers had new modelled themfelves$
eamicring IVhalley, Ingoldjby, Goffe, and divers others
of the Protector's Party, and reftoring Lambert, Ha-
felrigge, Qkey, and others, difplaccd by Protector
Oliver, and played with the Government for a few
Days, and grew weary of it, the inferior Officers and
the Pamphlets (that now flew about daily without
Control) carrying Things beyond the Intention of
the Chief Officers, who would have left the Protec-
tor a Duke oiFcnice, (for his Father's Sake who rai-
fed them, and their Relation to him, which they had
forgotten till now) they fent to fome of their old
Hackney Drudges of the Long Parliament, then in
London, who they knew would do any thing, fo they
might be fuffered to fit, and on the 5th and 6th Days
of May had Conference with them ; the laft of which
was at their never-failing Speaker's, the M after of the
Rolls Houfe, in Chancery- Lane; where both Officers,
•viz. Lambert, who had already gotten his old Place,
and others with him, and Members, viz. Sir PL
Vane, Sir Arthur Hafelrigge, Ludlow, John Jones,
Mr. Chalontr, Mr. Scctt, and others, to the Num-
ber of twenty, follicitcd William Lenthall, Efq-, to
fit Speaker again; but he objected Scruples in Judg-
VOL. XXL A a ment
t> This Pamphlet has for its Title England's Ccnfufion 5 or, A
true and impartial Account of tbt latt Tra-utrftt of State in England,
•teitb tie Counfeh Itading tbtrtunto. Together -will a Dffcrifi..
the freftnt Power ruling there, ly the Name of Parliament, urd< • - •
Mejk tftbe Good old Cauft. Load. 1659, 410, p, 14,
370 ?$<? Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. ment and Confcience, which are not yet anfwered,
l659- nor never will. Neverthelefs, fifteen Articles be-
5"""J^""""*' tween the Officers and fome of the Members (who,
it feems, over-confidcntly undertook for the reft)
being firft agreed on at fome of their Meeting?, they
refolved to meet in the Houfe on Saturday the yth
of May ; yet, that they might do it by Surprize,
they gave out that they would not fit till Tuesday
the roth of May. But the Itch of Ambition and
Lording it over the People giving them no Quiet,
on Saturday the yth of May, early, they met in the
Painted-Chamber at JVeftminjler ; and, to make up
their Number, fent for the two chafte Cock-Spar-
rows, Lord Monfon and Mr. Henry Martin, out of
Prifon, where they were in Execution for Debt, and
honeft IVhithcke and Lijle of the Chancery Bench ;
and with this Addition, being forty-two in Number,
the Chancery-Mace, for Hafte, being carried before
them,
William Lentlall, Efq; their tender-confcienced
Speaker, together with the faid Lord Monfon,
Henry Martin ,
Mr. Wbitlocke,
Mr. Lijle *
Temperate Mr. Chalotier,
Wife Alderman Atkin,
Rich Alderman Pennington,
Pedantic Thomas Scott,
Haftily-rich Cornelius Holland,
Single-hearted preaching Sir Henry Fane, now be-
come Old Sir Harry,
Prideaux, Attorney-General to all Governments,
Smiling Sir James Harrington,
Levelling Ludlow,
Pembrochian Oldfwortb, that made the Earl his
Matter's wife Speeches,
Vain-glorious hair-brain'd Hafilrigge, with Repent-
ance like the Armies in his Conference, and the
Biflioprick of Durham at his Back,
Sir Thomas Middletcn's Man Jones,
Doting Purefoy, without Purity or Faith,
Religious Harry Nevill,
Coi.
Of E N G L A N D. 371
Col. mite, the Lord Fairfax' 's Secretary, got be- Inter-reguum.
fore his Mafter, *659-
Mr. Say, the famous Lawyer, ^'"M*~'
Mr. Elagrave, better known at Reading than here,
Col. Bennett, Sir Henry Pane's little Second at
Preaching,
Mr. Erewfler, a Cypher to make up the Number,
Serjeant Ifyide, beft known by the Name of the
Wild Serjeant,
*-fohn Goodwin, alias Herb John,
Mr. Lechmere, the Attorney-General's Second at
all Governments.
Auguftin Skinner, a Kentijh Chriftian,
Mr. Downes, another Cypher,
Mr. Dove, a Brewer of Salijbury, come to help in
this new Brewing,
Mr. John Lenthall, William Lenthalfs own Son,
Salway, a fmart prating Apprentice, newly fet up
for himfelf,
Mr. John Corbet, fuch another Lawyer as Milest
and of his own Colour,
Mr. Walton, that will never forget his Son furnim/d
Blacks for the Protector's Funeral,
Gilbert Milllngtan , the Church Snuffers, who defires
no better Trade than fcandalous Minifters,
Mr. Gould, newly married to get more, the Com-
monwealth being poor,
Colonels Sydenbam and Bingham, a Darfet/Jnre
Couple, in at all Governments, who had rather
talk than fight, and yet will venture to do any
thing, being back'd with an Army, againft the
naked People,
Col. Ayre, whofe Name fills his Head,
Mr. Smith, a Six-Clerk, that wiflies he could write
and read,
Col. Ingoldjby, that fought fo well lately for the Pro-
tector againft Fleetwood, and
Fleetwood, that holy Man, who fo fmoothly fup-
planted die Protector, that he perfuaded him,
three Crowns were not worthy a drawn Sword,
ftole on a Sudden into the Houfe, the Invitation of
A a 2 the
372 The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-regnum. the Army for the fitting of the Long Parliament, as
they call it, being firft publifhed in Weftminjler-
To conclude this whole Affair, and begin with
the Proceedings of this Tail of a Parliament, we
fhall only fubjoin what the voluminous Mr. Prynne
has left us at the End of one of the many Pamphlets
he published about this Timec, and is an Alphabe-
tical Lift, &c. By comparing which with the former
Parliamentary Lifts, the Reader may, with very
little Trouble, find who was thought proper to be
kept in, and who fhut out, at this Crifis.
An exatt ALPHABETICAL LIST of all the old and
new SECLUDED MEMBERS of the Commons tioafs
in the Long Parliament ^ furviving May 7, l6j
when the dijjolved Juntto began their neiv Se ~
Baronets, Knights, and Vifcounts.
1659,
ejjion,
A Lift of the y ORD Ancram,
ment, furviving
in 1659.
ohn Harrington,
Sir Thomas Barnardifto
Sir Robert Benloes,
Sir George Booth ,
Sir Humphry Bridges,
Sir Ambrofe Brown,
Sir John Burgoin,
Sir Roger Burgoin,
Sir Henry Cholmley,
Sir yohn Clotworthy,
Sir John Corbet,
Sir John Curzon,
Sir Thomas Dacres,
Sir Francis Drake,
Sir William Drake,
Sir Walter Erie,
Sir Charles Egerton,
Sir JohnEvelin of Surry,
Sir John Evelin of Wilts*
Sir John Fen-wick,
Sir Edmund Fowel,
Sir Gilbert Gerard,
Sir Harbotle Grim/Jon,
Sir Richard Haughton,
Sir John Holland,
Sir Anthony Irby,
Sir Martin Knatchbuil9
Sir John Leigh,
Sir William Lewis,
Sir William Lifter,
Sir William Litton,
Sir Samuel Luke,
Sir Nicholas Martin,
Sir Thomas Middleton*
Sir Robert Napier,
Sir Robert Nedham,
Sir
« This Pamphlet is in Quarto, of 48 Pages, Ltnd. 1659, and is
intituled, Conscientious, Serious, "Theological, and Lej?a! Queries, pro-
founded to the ttoice-diffpated, ^elf-created Anti-Parliamentary Weft-
tninfter JunSo, Ice. &c. &c. for he always fills his Title Pages from
Top to Bottwn, and ends with divert Quotations from Scripture,
Of E N G
Sir Dudley North,
Sir John Northcot,
Sir Richard Onflow,
Sir Hugh Owen,
Sir "John Pa/grave,
Sir Philip Parker,
Sir Thomas Parker,
Sir Edward Partridge,
Sir y<7^« Pelham,
Sir ApSftaa P/a
Sir Nevil Poole,
Sir 7^» P0//J,
Sir Robert Pye,
May.
LAND. 373
Sir Francis Rujfil, Inter-reg*
Sir Beauchamp St. John,
Sir John Seymort,
Sir Thomas Soame,
Sir William Strickland^
Sir John Temple,
Sir Thomas Trevor,
Sir Humphry Tufton,
Thomas Vifc. Wenman^
Sir Henry Worfley,
Sir Richard
Sir 7^ Young.
In all 64.
Efquires, Gentlemen, and Lawyers.
William Carrent,
Col. Ceely,
James Chaloner*
Mr. C/»™,
Commiflary Copley^
John Crewe,
Thomas Crompton,
Mr. Crowder,
Thomas Dacre,
John Dormer^
John Doyle,
Mr. Drake,
Robert Ellifon,
Mr. Erijy,
Mr. Evilin,
Edward Fowel,
William Foxwijl%
John Francis,
James Fiennes,
Nathaniel Fiennes^
Sarnuei Gardner,
Francis Gerard,
Thomas Gewen,
William Glanville,
John Glynn, Serjeant at
Law,
» 3* Samuel
Arthur Annejley,
Mr. Andrews,
William Ardington,
John Arundel,
Mr. A/cough,
Francis Bacon,
Nathaniel Bacon,
Edward Bainton,
Col. John Barker,
Maurice Barrow,
Mr. Bell,
James Bence,
Edward BiJJ),
John Bowyer,
John Boyes,
Major Brooks,
Major-General Brown,
Samuel Brown, Serjeant
at Law,
Francis Buller,
John Bunklty,
Hugh BofcQwetiy
Mr. Button,
Mr. Campbely
A
374 fflg 'Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter- regnum. Samuel Gott,
Alderman Nixon,
*659- Thomas Grove,
Mr. North,
r»~ -^ Elias Grymes,
Col. Norton,
Brampton Gordon,
Mr. Onflow,
Edward Harby,
Arthur Owen,
Col. Edward Harley,
Henry Oxinden,
Major Harley,
Mr. Packer,
John Hatcher,
Mr. Peck,
John Haydon,
Henry Pelham,
James Herbert,
William Pierepoint,
John Herbert,
Mr. Hobby )
Jervafe Piggot,
Mr. Potter,
Thomas Hodgei,
Mr. Poole,
Denzil Holies,
Col. Alexander Popham,
Francis Holies,
Mr. Pavy,
George Homer,
Mr. Prtjly,
Edmund Hojlins,
John Hungerford,
William Prynne,
Alexander Pymmt,
Col. Hunt,
Charles Pymme,
Mr. Jennings,
Mr. Rain/craft,
William Jones,
Mr. Ratcli/e,
George Keckwich,
Charles Rich,
Richard Knightly,
Col. Lafcelles,
Col. Edward Ro/iter,
Mr. Scowen,
Henry Lawrence,
MrsScutt,
Col. Lee,
Col. Robert Shapcot,
Mr. Lewis,
Col. Shuttleworth,
Col. Walter Long,
Mr. Spelman,
Mr. Lowry,
Mr. Springats,
Col. John Lloyd,
Henry Stapleton,
Mr. Lucas,
Robert Stanton,
Mr. Luckin,
Edward Stephens,
John Maynard,
Cbriftopher Martin,
John Stephens,
Nathaniel Stephens,
Major-General Edward
Mr. Stockfield,
MaJJey,
John Swinfen,
Thomas Middleton,
Mr. Temple,
Thomas Moore,
Mr. Terwit,
William Morrice,
Mr. Thijllethwaite,
George Montague,
Mr. Thomas,
Mr. Najh,
Jfaac Thomas,
James Nelthorps,
Mr. Thynne,
Mr.
Intcr-regnum.
1659-
May.
Of E N G L A N D. 375
.Mr. Tolfon, William Wheeler ,
John Trevor, Col. Whitehead, .
"Thomas Iwifden, Ser- Henry Wilkes,
jcant at Law, Capt. Wlnsatt^
Mr. Vajflal, Mr. Wmwood,
Mr. raugoan, Thumps Wogan,
Thomas Waller, Mr. Wray,
Mr. Weft, Richard Wynne.
Henry WeJIon,
The Total Number> 213; befides the Houfe
of Lords.
An ALPHABETICAL LIST of all the MEMBERS of
the late-dijfihed JunSlo.
John Gurdon, The Names of
Mr. Hallowes, thofe allowed to
Sir James Harrington, fitt
Col. Harvy,
Sir Arthur Hafilrlgge,
Mr. Hayes, '
Mr. Herbert, the felf-
degraded Earl of Pem-
broke,
Roger Hill,
Cornelius Holland,
Col. Hutchinfon,
Col. Ingoldjby,
Philip Jones,
Mr. Leachmere,
Will. Lenthall, Speaker,
John Lenthall, his Son,
John Life,
Philip VfTcount Life,
Thomas Lifter,
Nicholas Love,
Col. JLudlow,
Henry Martin, a Prifoner
in Execution,
Mr. Mayne,
Sir Henry Mildmay,
Gilbert Millington,
Col;
Alderman Atkins^
illiam Ayre^
Mr. Baker,
Col. Rennet^
Col. Bingham^
Daniel Elagrave,
Mr. Briwfftr,
William Cau'ly,
Thomas Chaloner^
Mr.C^/V,theSelf-degra-
dcd Earl of Sali/bury,
Robert Cecil, his Son,
John Corbety
Henry Darley,
Richard Darley,
Mr. Dixwell,
"John Dove,
Mr. Doivnes,
William Ellis,
Mr. Fielder, '
Mr. Fell,
Col. Charles Fleetwood,
Auguflin Garland,
Mr. Gould,
"John Goodwin,
Robert Goodwin,
376
Parliamentary HISTORY
May.
Jnttr-regnum. Col. Herbert JWorhy,
4 ^5lL t k°rd Vifcount Monfon, a
Prifoner in Execution,
Henry Nevil,
Robert Nicholas,
Michael Old/worth^
Mr. Palmer,
Alderman Pennington,
Sir Gilbert Pickering,
John Pine,
Edmund Prideaux,
William Purefoy,
Thomas Pury,
Robert Reynolds,
Col. Rich,
Luke Robinfon,
Oliver St. John,
Major Salway,
Mr. Say,
Thomas Scott,
Major-General Skippon,
Auguftin Skinner %
Mr. Smith,
Walter Strickland?
Col. Sydenham,
'James Temple,
"Col. Temple,
Col. Thompfon,
Serjeant Thorpe,
"John Trencher,
Sir 'John Trevor,
Sir Henry Vane,
Mr. Wallop,
Sir Thomas
Col. Walton,
Sir Peter Wentworth,
Edmund Weaver,
Mr. White,
Serjeant Wilde,
Sir Thomas Witherington^
Sir Thomas Wroth.
The total Number, gr.
To the foregoing Prynne adds, c That, of thefe
Members, there entered only forty-two into the
Houfe at firft ; that the reft came in to them by
Degrees, either to keep their old Preferments, gain
new, or regain the Places they had formerly loft,
efpecially the Lawyers; who, notwithftanding their
former Compliances, were turn'd quite out of Office,
and dif-judged : That eight, or more of them,
came in by new "Writs, iffued in the Name of the
Keepers of the Liberties of England, after the King's
Beheading, and were no Members of the Long
Parliament : That there were never fixty of them
together in the Houfe at once whilft they fat, and
but fifty-feven on the iith and I2th of Oftober laft,
upon the great Debate between them and the Army
Officers : And fome that fat formerly with them, as
the Lord Fairfax, "John Gary, and others, refufed to
fit with them now, as having not the leaft Colour of
Law
Of ENGLAND. 377
Lawtofit or actas aParliament. Yea, their Speaker, Inter-re|num«
Mr. Lenthall, told the Officers of the Army and l659-
Members, who came to invite him to fit again, ^""7**^"*""^
May 6, That he had a Soul to fave ; and that he was
not fatisfied, in Point of Law, Confcience, or Pru-
dence, that they could fit again : But at laft, when
he confidered he had an Euate to fave, as he told
another Friend, that over-balanced all his former
Objections ; and made him and other Members aft
againft their Judgments and Confciences, and to for-
get our Saviour's fad Queries, Mat. xvi. 26. What
is a Man profited if be Jhould gain the whole World
andlofe his own Soul? Or, What fo ail a Man give in
Exchange for his Soul?
May 7. The Journals of this Houfe of Com-
mons now begin without any Preamble, and with-
out any Notice taken of the laft Breaking-up ; and,
after appointing Henry Middleton, Efq; their Ser-
jeant at Arms, and John Phelpes, Efq; their Clerk
of Parliament, the Speaker acquainted the Houfe,
' That the Lord Lambert, with divers Officers of
the Army, in the Name of the Lord Fleetwood, and
Council of Officers, upon the 6th of May, 1659,
came unto him, many of the Members being then
prefent, and delivered unto him a Declaration,
which was then read in the Prefence of the faid
Members : The faid Declaration the Speaker now
tendred ; which was read, and is the fame as be-
fore given. *
After this a Committee of five Members, Major
Sal-way, Commiffioner Whitlocke, Sir Henry Vane,
Secretary Martin, and Sir Arthur Hafilrigge, were
ordered to prepare a Declaration, to the prefent Pur-
pofe, upon the former from the Army. Likewifs
another Committee of twelve, Scott, Haftlriggt,
Commiffioner Lijle, Ludlow, Lechmere, Holland^
Fane, Martin, the Attorney General, Harrington^
6 Sec p. 367, in this Vyl,
378 'The Parliamentary HISTORY
Inter-re&num. We/Ion^ and Jones, were appointed to perufe the
Books, and other Records of Parliament, concern-
the Members of this Houfe, who fat fmce Ja-
nuary 30, 1648, untill April 20, 1653, and are not
excluded by Judgment of Parliament, and to give
this Houfe an Account of the faid Members.
The Form of a Letter was alfo agreed upon, to
be figned by the Speaker, and fent to the feveral
Members that are abfent ; which Letter was in thefe
Words :
SIR,
The Speaker's « rT\ H E Parliament of this Commonwealth be-
nfoifthe Mem- ' A m»» ^7 God's Bleffing, now again reftored
bers. ' to the Freedom and Right of fitting, where they
' were interrupted on the 20th of April^ 1653, have
* commanded me to give you fpeedy Notice thereof,
4 to require your perfonal Attendance forthwith, for
' the carrying on the great Work expected from
* them, in fettling and fecuring the Peace and Free-
' dom of this Commonwealth, according to your
'Duty in that Behalf.
Your loving Friend.*
Major Salway, according to Order, brought in a
Draught of a Declaration, concerning the wonderful
Providence of God, in reftoring this prefent Parlia-
ment to the Exercife and Difcharge of their Truft ;
which was read firft throughout, then in Parts, and
debated, and feveral Amendments being made, on
the Queflion, it pafled, and was as follows :
A DECLARATION of the PARLIAMENT afftmbled
at Weftminfter.
* "\TC /"Hereas the Parliament of this Common-
< y V wealth having, through the eminent
* Favour and Mercy of God, fat many Years in the
* Performance of the Trufts repofed in them by the
6 People whofe Repefentatives they are ; and being,
TheParlia-
ment's Declara
tion*
Of E N G L A N D. 379
* in the Profecution of that Duty, aflembled in Par- inter-rtgnum.
* liament, at IVfJIminfter* upon the 20th Day of
8 Apri^ 1653, were then interrupted, and forced
8 out of the Houfc from that Time untill this prefent
* Day.
8 And whereas the Officers of the Army raifed by
8 this prefent Parliament, calling to mind that the'
* fame Parliament, confiding of the Members which
* continued to fit untill the 20th of April, 1653,
* were Aflertors of the Good old Caufe, and had a
* fpecial Prefence of God with them, and were fig-
' nally blefled in that Work ; did adjudge it their
* Duty (the Defires of many good People concur -
* ring with them therein) to invite the aforefaid
8 Members to return to the Exercife and Difcharge
* of their Trufts, as before the faid 2Oth of April^
8 1653.
8 And for the effecting thereof, the Lord Lambert,
8 with divers other Officers of the Army, in the
' Name of the Lord Fleetwood and Council of Offi-
8 cers of the Army, did, upon the 6th Day of May ,
8 1659, rafort unto the Speaker of the faid Parlia-
* ment ; and, in the Prefence of many of the faic?
8 Members of Parliament, prefcnted a Declaration,
8 containing their earned Defire, that the Parlia-
8 ment, confiding of thofe Members who continued
8 to fit fince the Year 1648, until the 20th of /fyr//,
8 1653, would return to the Exercife and Difcharge
8 of their Truft ; promifing their Readinefs in their
8 Places, as became them, to yield their utmoit
8 Affiftance to them, to fit in Safety, for improving
8 the prefent Opportunity for fettling and fecuring
8 the Peace and Freedom of this Commonwealth ;
* Praying for the Prefence and Bleffing of God upon
8 their Endeavours.
8 Whereupon the Speaker, with the aforefaid
8 Members of Parliament, refolved to meet at Weft-
8 minfter the next Morning, giving Notice to others
8 of their Fellow- Members, of fuch their Intention.
8 And accordingly the Speaker, with the faid
8 Members, being aflembled at Wejlminjler the ijth
1 of May, 1659, found it a Duty incumbent on
them
Inter-regnum.
1659.
May.
380 The Parliamentary HISTORY
them not to neglect this Opportunity, which the
wonderful, and, as they hope, the gracious Provi-
dence of God, hath held forth unto them, for the
Profecution of what yet remains of their great
Truft.
* All which the Parliament taking into their Con-
fideration, do declare, That they are refolved,
through the gracious Afliftance of Almighty God,
to apply themfelves to the faithful Discharge of
the Truft repofed in them, and to endeavour the
Settlement of this Commonwealth upon fuch a
Foundation, as may afiert, eftablifh, and fecure
the Property and the Liberties of the People, in
reference unto all, both as Men, and as Chriftians ;
and that without a Single Perfon, Kingfhip, or
Houfe of Peers : And fhall vigoroufly endeavour
the carrying on of Reformation fo much defired,
and fo often declared for ; to the end there may be
a godly and faithful JVlagiftracy and Miniftry up-
held and maintained in thefe Nations, to the Glo-
ry and Praife of our Lord Jefus Ckrift, and to the
reviving and making glad the Hearts of the Upright
in the Land.'
The fame Day another Committee was named,
ef much the fame Perfons, who were to repair to the
Lord Fleet-wood^ and acquaint him of the Parlia-
ment's good Acceptance of the Affections of the
Officers of the Army to the Parliament and this
Commonwealth, manifefted in their Declaration
delivered to the Speaker, and by him communicated
to this Houfe. That they have expreffed their In-
tentions thereupon, in another Declaration now
pafled, which the Parliament have appointed to be
forthwith printed, and to be published by the She-
Tiffs of the feveral Counties throughout the Nation.
They next proceeded to conftitute a Committee
of Safety, pro Tempore, which were the Lord Fleet'
woo^ Sir Arthur Hafilrlgge^ Sir Henry Vane^ Lieu-
tenant-General Liidlow, Col. Sydenhatn, Major
Saliuay, and Col. John Jones, with full Power to
take efpecial and effectual Care to preferve the
Peace
Of E N G L A N D. 381
Peace and Safety of this Commonwealth ; and that Jnter-rcgnum,
all Officers, Soldiers, and Minifters of Juftice, give l659*
due Obedience to the Orders of this Committee. ^""TJ*~~*
To fit at fuch Time and Places as they, in their
Difcretion, (hall think fit ; and are to continue for
the Space of eight Days, and no longer.
Ordered, That a true Copy of the Declaration,
concerning the Parliament's being reftored to the
Exercife of their Truft, be fent to the Lord Mayor
of London, to be by him publiflied within the City
and Liberties thereof. And that the Lord Mayor
be defired to take efpecial Care of the Prefervation
and Peace of the City.
The Lord Whitlocke, Mr. Attorney-General,
Lechmere, Corbet, Say, Commiffioner Lifle, Chief
Baron Wyldt, and Mr. Martin, were made a Com-
mittee, to confider how the Adminiftration of Ju-
ftice may be, for the prefent, carried on in this
Commonwealth, by Authority of Parliament, and
to prefent a Bill for this Purpofe, on Monday next,
if they think fit.
Laftly, and to crown the Work of this long Day,
it was ordered, That the Parliament meet To-
morrow Morning, being Sunday, in that Place, to
feek the Lord for his Guidance and Bleffing on the
Parliament and their Proceedings; and that Dr.
Owen be defired to be affiftant in carrying on the
Duty of the Day. This Ceremony will beft ap-
pear in the Words of the "Journals.
Lord's Day, %tb of May, 1659.
* The Houfe met this Morning, and fpent it in
Prayer and hearing the Word, Dr. Owen praying
and preaching before them.
* Mr. Speaker took the Chair.
' Ordered, That the very hearty Thanks of the
Parliament be given to Dr. Owen, for his great
Pains in that feafonable Word the Lord had enabled
him to deliver, in a Sermon preached this Morning
before the Parliament, in this Place ; and that he be
defired to print his Sermon with all convenient
Speed : And that Col. John JontT, and Major Sal-
way
382 The Parliamentary HISTORY
inter-regnum. way, do acquaint him therewith, and give him the
*^59- Thanks of the Parliament accordingly.'
Major Salway reported from the Committee of
Safety, 'That, having endeavoured to inform them-
felves of the State of Affairs, in reference to the Peace
of this Commonwealth, they have received good
Intelligence, That Charles Stuart intends a fpeedy
Invafion, having for that Purpofe 1300 Men, al-
ready on their March, 500 of which are come to
Bruges : And that there are lately come over from
Flanders into England very many of Charles Stuart's.
Party, feveral of which are excepted from Pardon ;
as Capt. Titus and Co-1. Maffey ; and that there
were Endeavours ufed to draw over fome of the
Army of this Commonwealth to theirs : That,
upon Search laft Night, they found that Titus and
Maffey were flipp'd away, but fome others, newly
come from Flanders, were apprehended ; a Lift of
whofe Names they hoped to give in the next Morn-
ing. They defired alfo, that Lambert^ De/barougb^
and Col. fiury, might be added to their Committee j
which was granted.'
It was ordered alfo, * That it be referred to the
Members of Parliament, that are of this Committee
of Safety, to inform themfelves of the Powers of the
late Council of State, by Authority of Parliament,
and to conftder of a fit Number of Perfons of
which the Council of State may hereafter confifr,
and to make Report thereof to the Parliament.'.
4 Ordered, That fuch Perfons, heretofore Mem-
bers of this Parliament, as have not fat in this Par-
liament fmce the Year 1648, and have not fubfcri-
bed the Engagement, in the Roll of the Engage-
ment of this Houfe, fhall not fit in this Houfe till
further Order of Parliament.
* Ordered, That the Committee to whom the
Cafes of the Members of this Parliament, that fat
not fmce the Year 1648, were formerly referred, do
jevife the Journals of Parliament, and thereby in-
/orm themfelves of the Cafes of the faid Members,
and they do ftate the Matter of Fa&, and the fe-
veral
Of E N G L A N D. 383
veral Votes and Orders of Parliament, concerning Inter-regnum.
fuch Members, and report it to the Parliament :
That the Cafe of the Lord Fairfax, and Sir Anthony May
AJhley Cooper^ be referred to the faid Committee.
The firft of thefe laft Votes was ordered to be fet
upon the Parliament Door.
' Refolved, on the Queftion, That all fuch who
fhall be in any Place of Truft, or Power, within,
this Commonwealth, (hall be able for the Difcharge
of fuch Truft; and that they be Perfons fearing
God, and that have given Tertimony of their Love to
all the People of God, and of their Faithtulnefs to the
Cauie of this Commonwealth, according to the De-
claration of Parliament of the yth of May, 1659.
' Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee
of Safety, to confider of fit